Ferrari Chairman, John Elkann in an interview with Gazzetta Dello sports, has admitted that it would take until 2022 before Ferrari can start performing better, blaming their slow start this season on the poor design their current car has.
Ferrari has struggled this season with its best finish so far in second place. The two drivers came last in the recent Hungarian GP, and now Elkann has said the solution to their problem does not seem near.
Speaking with the Italian newspaper, Elkann said, “We aren’t competitive this year because of car design mistakes. We’ve had a series of structural weaknesses that have been present in the vehicle’s aerodynamics and dynamics for some time. We’ve also lost out in terms of engine power. Ferrari aren’t competitive at the moment. We’ve seen that on the track and will continue to do so. The target is to start a new cycle in 2022 when the rules will have changed. Ferrari has always been, and will always continue to be there. We’ll be competitive again and will target success. We’re confident.”
The decision to wait till 2022 before having a better performance is because they cannot make changes to their car’s design till then. This is due to the impact of the coronavirus on the economy of these various teams. Change in car designs, which is done every year, has now been moved to 2022, as cars would repeat the same designs in 2021 to save costs. Elkann further admitted that the delay would penalise Ferrari as they may continue to put on the same performance until the car designs are changed.
Elkan expressed his faith in Mattia Binotto and how he would make the team better. He said, “Mattia Binotto, who has taken the helm of the Scuderia for a year, has all the skills and characteristics to start a new winning cycle. He was in Ferrari with [Jean] Todt and [Michael] Schumacher. He knows how to win and from next year he will work with two drivers who are young and ambitious like us.” He described the current situation as something similar to how Ferrari began the early 2000s by winning after coming from more than 2 decades of not taking any title.
Written by: Leon Osamor
