Being one of the most prosperous teams in Formula 1 history, fans want Ferrari to perform like a champion team, however, their past performances have left them in tears.
The team was behind until last year, but everyone could see the progress this year. In reference to this, the Red Bull alumnus believes that Scuderia holds the key to escaping the prison they are trapped in.
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Ferrari finished season 2022 in both the constructor’s and driver’s championships at P2. The team that first appeared amazing and was at one point predicted to win the 2022 season’s championship, however, was vanquished by Red Bull. Mattia Binotto severed relations with the team as a result of several issues like the driver’s failure, strategic mistakes, and reliability problems that caused the team to lose the championship.
David Coulthard, a former Red Bull driver, is certain that Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are the team’s most driven and can bring success to the team. In the interview with Mirror Sport, Coulthard said, “Ferrari is the most famous name in Formula 1 and is the longest-lived team. I believe in the drivers and in the fact that, after designing a car of that type, they have the right talents in the team to solve the problems they have had. With these premises, they must be in contention for the 2023 title”.
Adding further, he said to the Mirror Sport, ” I believe in it, not because they have a prancing horse on the red car, but on what they have in their hands: a very fast F1 car and two very strong and motivated drivers. So in 2023 they have to aim for the world championship and I think they can succeed if they solve the problems that are clearly obvious to everyone.”
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The way Ferrari drove last year prompted a lot of questions about them. Amidst them, Mattia Binotto admitted that Ferrari lacked the competitive spirit that was present during the Michael Schumacher era.
Mattia Binotto once asserted that the squad lacks a winning mindset
From 1999 to 2004, Ferrari won six consecutive Constructors’ Championships, and in the final five of those years, Michael Schumacher won the Drivers’ Championship. With Kimi Raikkonen, they once more accomplished the feat in 2007, and the following year they successfully defended their Constructors’ Championship. However, this season has marked the Scuderia’s 15th consecutive year without a victory.
Although Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are among the top F1 stars of today, they still have a long way to go before they can be included in the same sentence as the seven-time former World Champion. Schumacher was one of the all-time greats when the Italian giants were pushing the team forward at the turn of the millennium.
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When asked what is lacking in the quest for success earlier this year, Mattia Binotto replied talking to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, “That winning mentality that was there in the Schumacher era and which pushed you to do better after every victory.”
Adding further the Swiss engineer said, “We promised we would be competitive again and we have kept that promise, but what I want to say is that between having a performing car and drivers and the ability to consolidate the ability to materialize every situation, there is still a step to go.”
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It will be intriguing to watch if Ferrari can revive its winning streak similar to that of Michael Schumacher’s era or if the team will still trail the formidable Red Bull after the new leadership is in place.