In search of a first pilot title since 2007 and manufacturers since 2008, the stable has positioned this year in favorite in just three races. Sunday, April 24, in Imola, the tifosi are preparing to vibrate for their colors at home.
by
At the end of 2020, Rouge Ferrari no longer scares anyone, any more than he enthuses the many tifosi. The Italian racing cars no longer triumph since 2008 in Formula 1 – Year of the last title of champion – and the emblematic stable has just completed one of the worst seasons in its rich history. The legendary Scuderia in the thirty -one world titles is relegated to a mediocre sixth place in the manufacturers’ classification.
This spring, the prancing horse brand is back at the top. In Imola, on the bitumen of the Enzo and Dino-Ferrari circuit, Charles Leclerc will try, Sunday April 24, to confirm his excellent start to the season. The Monegasque has 34 points ahead of the British George Russell in the pilot classification; Ferrari is ahead of 39 units to that of manufacturers.
Winner of two of the first three races on the calendar (in Bahrain and in Australia), the stable had not been so dominant since 2004, when the “Red Baron” – the seventeen world champion Michael Schumacher – had crushed competition by winning the first three grand prices of the season.
“The last two years have been incredibly difficult, testified Leclerc, after his inaugural victory in the Gulf. We could not hope for better. It’s incredible to be back.” And this thunderous comeback should not Nothing at random. He plunges his roots into a medium-term strategy established by the boss of the stable, the Italo-Swiss Mattia Binotto.
Crucial turn
Shortly after his enthronement, in 2019, this engineer with round glasses faces a delicate negotiation with the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which is closely interested in the power unit of Ferrari, judged irregular. The brand concludes an agreement that has remained confidential to return to the nails of the regulation. In the process, engine performance drops, like the results. This leads to the 2020 season, during which the Ferrari are looking more often at their mirrors than straight ahead.
binotto does not panic. He knows that in 2022 a large turning point is looming in F1. The new regulations designed by the FIA is supposed to rebatch cards to reinstate real competition. The domination of a single stable, Mercedes, who trusses the championships, is heavy. And Ferrari intends to take advantage of the Big Bang.
In order not to miss this crucial turn, the stable is reorganized. We pay particular attention to the smallest details, those who win the thousandths and hundredths of a second so precious. In 2021, the recovery is already visible: Ferrari climbed to a more respectable third place, behind Red Bull and Mercedes.
You have 60.68% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.