Mattia Binotto backed down from Ferrari’s 2022 title bid, saying that until the regulations are clear, they cannot be sure of anything.
Ferrari have been vocal regarding their intentions to challenge for the title in 2022. This comes on the heels of the sport’s regulations being overhauled for the upcoming season, with the Prancing Horse looking to take full advantage of it.
The right moves had been made in 2021, with the Italian team securing P3 in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of rivals McLaren. They are looking to go two better and become the best, but their team principal is still not convinced.
Binotto backed down from Ferrari’s 2022 title bid, saying that they will hold off on talks for it until the season begins.
“I cannot be confident. The reason why is I think that, if I look at the gap today, it’s still significant showing that those teams (Mercedes and Red Bull) are very strong,” he told Racingnews365.com.
“The fact that we have put a lot of effort (into) 2022 and made it the priority was, for us, a necessity, because we knew that if we did not have done that, it would have been difficult for us to have a good car or a competitive car in 2022.
“Is that giving us the full confidence? No, we cannot be confident. Because we have no references from the others. What we know is that we put all our effort, and I see that whatever we have is the best result of a team effort – that was most important for us.”
Closing in
“The other thing is to further reduce the gap to the competitors. I think the new regulations are a clear opportunity,” he continued.
“The hope is to be certainly competitive and, for me, to be competitive (means) being (in a) position of winning races.
“Would that mean that we can fight for a championship? I think, if I look at today, the gap is too big. But I think that, as Ferrari, it’s part of our DNA.
“What’s important is to be capable of fighting, at least in some races, for the pole positions or for the win,” he concluded.
Read more: Binotto eager to get done with formality of current season to unleash real Ferrari challenger