Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto believes that the team could have won eight races so far this season were it not for a combination of poor reliability, driver error and questionable strategy. After a barren couple of years, Ferrari have returned to the winner's dais in 2022 with four victories so far this season. But it could and should have been much more for the Scuderia, with mechanical problems forcing Charles Leclerc to retire from the lead in Spain and Azerbaijan, and the Monegasque also making an unforced error to spin out while lying first in France. Strategy errors from Ferrari also cost Leclerc possible wins in Monaco, Britain and Hungary, and Binotto rued the amount of points the team have dropped from winning positions so far in 2022. "Red Bull is indeed more efficient," Binotto told Auto Motor und Sport . "Out of 13 races we have only won four, but that could have been eight without our problems. "Red Bull also suffered from reliability problems, but they were never in the lead when they retired. "With us, it was the other way around. That was the case in Spain, Azerbaijan and France." Binotto added that the SF-75's poor reliability was in part due to the many new elements in the car's engine, which has suffered high-profile failures at several Grands Prix this year. "We are paying the price for the great leap we have made in our development," said Binotto. "There are much more new parts in our engine than in that of Red Bull. We had to catch up from a big deficit."
Binotto: Ferrari and Red Bull are equal
While Red Bull are firmly ahead of Ferrari in terms of wins and championship points, the Scuderia appear to have the edge in one-lap pace, with eight pole positions to just four for the drinks-backed outfit. However, Binotto dismissed the notion that Ferrari have a quicker package to Red Bull, instead suggesting that the two teams are evenly matched over the course of a season. "We have practically the same speed as Red Bull," said Binotto. "We are within a tenth of a second of each other. You cannot say that one car is better than the other. "There are tracks that suit us better, and tracks where Red Bull is ahead of us. "In the end, it is the set-ups, the track conditions and the form of the drivers that are the decisive factors on Sunday. "At the start of the season, Red Bull were better and they had a rear wing that was more efficient when the DRS was activated. "We reduced our deficit with a new rear wing. The balance between them is a good thing, because the cars are so different. Still, we've ended up at about the same level."
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