The managers of the traditional team in Maranello also admit this. Alone: There is a lack of belief that with the incredible dominance of Verstappen and Co. everything can go right.
In particular, the rumor that Red Bull is working on another lightweight chassis raised eyebrows with race director Mattia Binotto in his press round after the race. “We couldn’t afford to develop a lighter chassis – or any other chassis – during the season because the budget doesn’t allow it. I would be very surprised if that were possible for other teams.”
As a reminder: 2022 has a budget limit of 140 million US dollars. This applies to all teams. Ergo, Ferrari’s competition should also have deficits in the further development of the car. Not so Red Bull. The team of energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz develops its RB18 weekly.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto
Binotto is therefore urging the FIA to take a closer look, especially since Red Bull has two teams, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. “You have to ask yourself whether the monitoring is sufficient. Unfortunately, few people keep an eye on it at the FIA. That needs to get better for the future. It would be really bad if the championship was decided by the financial rules.”
Because it works more efficiently. Binotto explained. “What worries me the most is that they drove with less downforce and were still able to set strong times in the middle sector, where you need downforce.” The solution may lie in the ground clearance. It had to be increased in Spa, among other things, because of the compression in Eau Rouge. Red Bull was apparently the least affected. It is fitting that the Verstappen team has so far been the least affected by the bouncing problem.
Nevertheless, the Scuderia does not want to give up: “Everything that we learn about our weaknesses this year will also help us with the car for next year,” says the team boss. Fans have been hearing such perseverance slogans since 2009.
