2022 ‘top priority’ for Ferrari unless 2021 is worse

Mark Scott
Charles Leclerc

Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto, has stated the 2022 car is “top priority” for the Scuderia, who will only turn full attention to 2021 if a worse season than 2020 is in store.

Ferrari suffered their worst result in four decades after finishing a dreary P6 in the Constructors’ Championship in 2020. But, with new regulations finally on the way in 2022, the Scuderia are prepared to somewhat sacrifice next season in order to be in the best possible position ahead of Formula’s 1 reset.

The plan for the 2022 car will only become compromised if the 2021 challenger plunges Ferrari to new depths.

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“I think 2022 will be more important than 2021,” Binotto said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“That’s because in 2022, we are opening a new technical era. And if you somehow already have a gap to be closed by the start of 2022, it will be more difficult on the following season.

“So certainly I think that 2022 will be the top priority next year.

“[In terms of] developing the car, I think that eventually if we are doing some work on the 2021 [car], it’s only because eventually the situation is more bad than expected, or because some activities are required on the 2021 for learning in trying to do something better for 2022.”

Binotto is reasonably confident that the plan for 2022 will not compromised, with enough progress being made throughout the forgettable 2020 campaign to suggest 2021 could at least be slightly better.

“I think that as Ferrari we cannot accept a similar season to 2020,” he added.

“So we need to do something certainly better compared to what we were doing.

“I think that if I look at the way we are developing the car, I’ve got some hope that the season can be better. But you can never know, up until the point you’re on track and you are somehow comparing yourself to the others.

“I think that it will be important not to have such a difficult season as we had in 2020. So the minimum would be competing for a better position.”

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