Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said the team have already turned their attentions to the 2022 season.
With new regulations coming for 2022, teams face an important decision regarding their allocation of resources to the upcoming campaign and then the following season, with 2022 representing the most likely year where the pecking order could receive a shake-up with the new generation of Formula 1 cars.
But Ferrari, who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing P6 in the 2020 Constructors’ Championship, have already turned their attentions to the 2022 season, and so this year any in-season work on the SF21 will be minor.
“The start of the season is very important. I don’t expect the balance of power to change much for the rest of the season,” Binotto is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
“We know our data. But it will be important that we deliver the performance on the track as well. In the past, advances from the wind tunnel have not always arrived in practice.
“Our focus in the coming season is already on the development of the 2022 car. That is our main task. We won’t spend much time developing the 2021 model during the season.
“The switch to the new cars for 2022 is so extensive that we will definitely shift most of our resources there.”
Ferrari have also announced a large restructuring of the team, and reports stated that Binotto was going to spend more time at the factory than at the race track, something we started to see in the latter stages of the 2020 campaign.
And he confirmed this will indeed be the case, though in the early rounds of the 2021 season he will be with the race crew.
“I don’t intend to attend all the races. Of course, I will be there at the beginning when it comes to assessing our performance properly and making sure that everything goes according to plan on the track,” he explained.
“But at some point, I will stay in Maranello to focus more on the project for 2022.”
So, Binotto is not expecting victories this season, but what he is expecting is the right “mentality” to be displayed throughout the team and a will to improve.
“For me, the will to win counts. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win races with it. We must be realistic about this. It’s more about our attitude, our commitment and our focus. Every detail counts,” he said.
“I expect determination from the team and the drivers and that we will show progress. It’s all about the right mentality. As team leader, I am fully aware of my responsibilities. But I feel more pride than pressure.”
