Ferrari's Mattia Binotto has confirmed that the team are not planning to run any major upgrades at the next pre-season test in Bahrain, in contrast to what is expected of some of their rivals. The Scuderia seemed to have a strong showing at the first pre-2022 testing event in Barcelona, having put in more laps than any other outfit over the course of the three days. The likes of Lewis Hamilton have suggested that the Italian squad are one to watch this season , though this is something that Binotto has played down , arguing that it is still too early to predict the pecking order. However, what is clear is that Ferrari will be running a mostly unchanged car when the next testing days take place on 10-12 March, whilst many other teams are expected to be bringing upgrades.
Binotto: Ferrari to "optimise" what they have
Binotto says that Ferrari want to further "optimise" the performance of the F1-75 in Bahrain, with his belief being that there is more to come from the car. "It will not be much different compared to what we've got," Binotto told media including RacingNews365.com . "I think that the first step for us will be to optimise what we have. We are still far from the best performance, not only because we are running high fuel and not the best engine mode, but simply because there is a lot to exploit more from the car itself. "We are more focused on that one [extracting more pace], not only in terms of set-up engineering, but as well in terms of driving style and the drivers themselves. So let's wait, let's see what the others will bring. "Certainly as Ferrari we are always concerned on upgrades of our competitors. And I'm pretty sure they will be very, very strong by then."
A different approach for Ferrari
Ferrari's decision not bring upgrades to the next test has raised interest amongst some, with technical expert Sam Collins stating to Formula1.com : "There's only one team that have told me that they're not going to be bringing big updates to Bahrain, and that's Ferrari, which in itself is quite interesting. "So I think I would let people judge from that what they like, but, for me, it could be a really good day for the red teams." The final pre-season test in Bahrain will take place little over a week before the season gets underway, with the Bahrain Grand Prix held on 18-20 March.
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