Ferrari cannot ignore mid-season slum – Leclerc
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari cannot ignore the consequences of its mid-season slump if it wants to improve next season. The Monacan made a strong start to the season winning two of the first three races of the season, however, a combination of strategy errors, reliability and driver errors as well as Red Bull resurgence made the championship challenge fall apart.
All of this has been pushed further into the spotlight following Ferrari’s announcement on Tuesday that team principal Mattia Binotto would be leaving his post at the end of the year. Reflecting on finishing as runner-up in this year’s championship and speaking before Binotto’s resignation, Leclerc told Motorsport.com, “Obviously, if I take a step back, considering from how far we come from last year, it’s an amazing step forward.”
“But obviously I cannot ignore our middle part of the season that has been super-frustrating. We went from leading the championship with quite a bit of points to being behind by quite a bit of points. And that was a frustrating part of the season.
“So, all in all, we just need to take all the mistakes that we’ve done this year and try to improve for next year. I think we really did some step forwards in terms of strategy and the way we have been taking decisions recently, in the last few races. “
He admitted that is was difficult in the latter part of the season because their pace wasn’t as good as at the start. Leclerc has confidence that in terms of pace they will be able to catch Red Bull next year.
Leclerc reckoned there were three key areas that Ferrari need to focus on for next year if it is to make the progress it needs to fight for the championship. These were reliability, strategy and a better understanding of tyre management. But says that it was difficult to pin point one thing, highlighting both reliability, strategy and tyre management.
Adding “Abu Dhabi was a good race but we also sometimes have very bad races and we don’t seem to have the understanding yet of how to have a good tyre management all the time. These are the three key aspects in which we are focusing on at the moment.”
But he feels although it was difficult to see from the outside, there was progress in the final races but they cannot forget the things they need to focus on. Leclerc also made it clear that he was not free for blame over the personal mistakes that cost him wins this season.
He added, “If anything, I could have pushed less on some occasions, like in France. But I think in the first few years, there was always an area in particular where I was focusing on because I knew it was a weak point. I think now, it’s been quite a few years that I’m in Formula 1 and it’s more about getting the details and being at my 100% as often as possible.”
Second ‘not enough’ for Ferrari – Domenicali
F1 CEO and former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says that his successor Mattia Binotto left the team because finishing second is “not enough” for the Italian team.
On Tuesday it was announced that Binotto has resigned as team principal as of the end of December, this followed rumours and heavy speculation that he was to be sacked by the team. Ferrari appeared to be in contention to end its long wait for titles after a strong start to the 2022 season, but failed to win any of the final eleven races of the campaign amid a loss of performance, and finished a distant second to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Speaking at the launch of the F1 Arcade in London, Domenicali told Sky Sports, “When you are second with Ferrari, it is something that is not enough. I don’t want to get into the dynamic of the team, for sure I want to wish him the best for his future.”
Domenicali resigned from the post in April 2014 after concerns about Ferrari’s lack of competitiveness following the 2014 regulation changes.
Binotto’s departure has been caused by a combination of reliability issues and repeated strategy errors, as well as not having the pace to fight with Red Bull for the entire season. Its understood he will be replaced my Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur.
At the time, Ferrari said reports that Binotto would be sacked were “totally without foundation”, but less than two weeks after that denial, the team released a statement confirming his departure.
Domenicali added, “I was in the same situation or position many years ago and I want to wish him to stay focused and believe in himself. On the other hand, I hope that Ferrari find the right solution to stay on track because they did a big recovery from where they were two years ago.”
He said the sport needed Ferrari to be competitive, a good and strong team to fight against the others. But is optimistic that Ferrari can be part of a three-way contest for the title with Red Bull and Mercedes next season.
Domenicali added, “Well that is the dream. It is not a dream, it is more than a dream, I think it will happen. I am sure there will be more teams to fight for the first position and also to fight for other positions.”
Chinese GP cancelled over Covid restrictions
Next year’s Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled due to the country’s zero covid policy. The race in Shanghai was due to return for the first time since the start of the pandemic as the fourth race of the season, but the heavy restrictions and continued lockdowns, F1 has decided it is not feasible to hold a race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
However there are talks to fill the four week gap between Melbourne and Baku, but its understood that Liberty media are not desperate to fill the gap. The favourite is said to be Portimao which replaced races in 2020 and 2021 before being replaced by Miami last year.
A statement said, “Formula 1 can confirm, following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation. Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course.”
In recent weeks rare protests in Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan where the virus was first detected three years ago, and the capital Beijing, have taken place against the zero covid policy. It is very unusual for people to publicly vent their anger at Communist Party leaders in China, where any direct government criticism can result in harsh penalties.
This was sparked by a fire block tower in Urumqi, where lockdown rules were blamed for hampering rescue efforts after a tower block fire in which ten people died. China’s authorities have denied those claims.
One option could be a return to Portimao, which hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix as a stand-in race in 2020 and 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced widespread cancellations on the calendar.
This year the sport decided, however, not to replace the Russian Grand Prix following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. F1 expects to confirm whether the round in Shanghai will be replaced in the New Year.
no firm decision has yet been taken and is not anticipated for at least a few weeks, with a number of other tracks also interested in taking the slot.
Although a European race is likely to take the slot, one challenge F1 faces is organising the freight between the flyways in Australia and Azerbaijan, and the various costs involved.
Alpine’s potential “even better” than expected – Gasly
Pierre Gasly believes that potential Alpine has is “even better” than he expected following his maiden test for the team in Abu Dhabi last week. The Frenchman had his first drive in a car after leaving the Red Bull family, and ahead of his debut for the team next year.
Gasly said after the test he was “very positively surprised” and that his adaptation went “pretty well” given the change in environment. Speaking about the test, he told Motorsport.com, “It was kind of surprising at the start, but we managed to get everything we wanted.”
Adding, “Very quickly I felt comfortable in the car, and I understand now why they finished fourth in the teams’ championship. It all makes sense for me, so I’m very excited for what’s coming.”
Asked if the test confirmed his thoughts about the potential Alpine has, Gasly replied: “I think it’s been even better. Saying, “So far from what I’ve seen, there is massive experience in this team, from the engineers inside the engineering office but also inside the garage.”
Gasly said he hasn’t seen everything which the team has in terms of resources, but says he was very impressed by the welcome he has received from Alpine, given how close the test was to the find of the season. He admitted that it wasn’t easy when joining a new team and they have been welcoming in the best possible way.
The Frenchman is set to formally link up with his new team in January once his final duties for AlphaTauri are complete, which included a recent appearance at the Honda Thanks Day in Japan.
Having “nothing to lose” didn’t ease frustration – Latifi
Nicholas Latifi’s frustration over his late-season struggles were not eased despite having “nothing to lose” with Williams after his exit was confirmed in September. The Canadian made his last outing for the team in Abu Dhabi after the team decided to replace him with F2 driver Logan Sargeant.
Latifi scored nine points during his three-year stint with Williams but struggled to match the form of teammate Alex Albon throughout this season. After picking up his only points of the year in Japan by finishing ninth, Latifi failed to record a finish any higher than sixteenth He told Motorsport.com, “There’s the extra emotional aspect [fighting for your seat] when things aren’t going well.”
“But at the same time, I still have frustration and disappointment even when I know. Irrespective of knowing if I’m staying or not, I still wanted to do well, still wanted to end each qualifying, each race since I’ve found out as best I can.”
Despite having certainty over his future decided and him not needing to fight for his seat, he was still frustrated by the way it ended.
“Just because I’ve known doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. In a way, [there was] nothing to lose, but still a lot of frustration and disappointment in these last six races.” Latifi struggled to adapt to the new generation of cars, and despite a mid-season improvement following a chassis change, his form failed to take a big upswing.
Reflecting on his time in F1, Latifi said it had been “very character-building, to say the least” but expressed gratitude for the opportunity he had enjoyed. He says it has been tough and he is leaving feeling like he had more to achieve.
