Ferrari’s completely new engine, added to a driver duo that has proven to be among the most competitive on the grid in their first year together, makes those who have triumphed in 2021 fear them for 2022.
Competing in a world championship from the beginning of the season until the last race of the year has its consequences: beyond the emotional exhaustion, with mistakes that are sometimes made due to having nerves on edge, technical erosion also ends up taking its toll.
That is why the intense struggle between Mercedes and Red Bull in 2021, both on and off the track, has allowed their closest rivals to have additional options that in the past they probably never would have had.
The biggest drag? That this has happened on the eve of a whole regulatory revolution like the one that is coming in 2022in the midst of planning a totally new single-seater that will be governed by unprecedented regulations in Formula 1.
bad omens
Both Red Bull and Mercedes have confessed the fear they both have that their confrontation will end up costing them. So who could overshadow them by taking advantage of this rivalry?
ferrari is the protagonist of the nightmares of the two contenders for the title last year. “It seems to me that Ferrari is going to be the great unknown or, possibly, the great threat of 2022,” he said. Jonathan WheatleyRed Bull sporting director.
«Ferrari’s power unit looked very strong at the end of the year, were clearly the third fastest team at the end of 2021. They also have a great driver duo; I wasn’t sure if they would mesh as drivers, but they seem to have done very well,” he added.
“It is very difficult to make a prediction at the moment. You only have your own references compared to last year’s car. You can get bits of information from other teams, but you don’t know if they are telling you the truth or just trying to worry you. You basically have to look at your own artboard and do the best job you can with that,” Wheatley continued.
The fight is not negotiated
Despite having achieved glory at the hands of Max Verstappen in 2021, and staying just 28 points behind an unstoppable Mercedes since 2014Wheatley says he is not eager to replicate the Germans’ feat in which they have had virtually no real rival for several years.
«My idea of the perfect World Cup is the one in which we won, obviously! But I would like a bare-knuckle fight From the first race to the last, I would like to battle every weekend, see 6 or 8 drivers capable of winning a race and it all comes down to who can chain a championship over 23 races, “he explained.
«I would like to battle every weekend, see 6 or 8 drivers capable of winning a race»
“Who can make fewer mistakes? Who can have the most competitive car on most weekends? Who can take advantage of last minute strategic decisions? Do not misunderstand, it would be great to dominate and win all 23 races of the yearbut my ideal championship is one where you are exhausted at the end of the year but have achieved something extraordinary, “concluded Wheatley.