Can Ferrari make it back on top?

Normally at the start of a new season, everyone starts with a clean slate, on level terms. But this isn’t always the case for Formula 1. The real shake-up and level playing field come from the rule changes that are enforced every couple of years.

Since the last rule change Mercedes have dominated the sport, winning a staggering 8 consecutive World Constructor championships. However, the likes of Ferrari have always been one of the stronger teams.

Over the past few years, the team has always lacked pace and has failed to generate good results ( for a team with the calibre of Ferrari).  With over 1000 Races entered and 773 podium place finishes, It’s not hard to see why the team has a massive following from all over the world.

But that looks set to change this season as the Italian Team managed to rack up 439 laps between the Driver Duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The most amount of laps by any team during the Barcelona.

Leclerc spoke to the press and said ”Well, I’m feeling reasonably good. I mean, we’ve done all the tests that we’ve wanted to do, which was the most important thing we wanted to do during this test – doing as much mileage as we could – and we did, without major problems. So it’s a positive first test for this, and in terms of performance, nothing to say for now.”

However, the performance during the testing has led many to believe that Ferrari will be the one to watch out for during this season. Former F1 driver Karun Chandok believes that they have what it takes to be a major threat this season.
“I think Ferrari is the big one, They have had a big advantage in terms of development but they also made some big steps last year. They had a pretty diabolical 2020, to be honest, but the way they bounced back from being sixth in 2020 to third and actually getting podiums on merit last season was seriously impressive.” Chandhok told Sky Sports.

It’s not just former drivers who have echoed their opinion about Ferrari being strong Contenders. 7 time World Champion Lewis Hamilton believes that Ferrari will be a force to reckon with when the lights go out for the first time in Bahrain

Speaking for Ferrari, Team Principal Mattia Binnoto dismissed the claim and said that Mercedes would definitely get more upgrades and improve their performance soon.
“ I’m pretty sure that [Mercedes] will be two or three months ahead of us by the time we will be in Bahrain. So I think that it’s very difficult today to judge the performance and the relative competitiveness between the teams,” said Binotto.

In the past rule changes have caused massive shake-ups in the performance of teams. Be in from the unstoppable Redbull of 2013 which did poorly in 2014, to even the end of Michael Schumacher’s great form in 2005. The world of F1 is unpredictable and full of surprises. But with 16 Constructors and 15 Drivers championships, there is no question about the greatness running through the entire Ferrari team. The question is, ‘ Have they nailed it this year? ‘

We cant wait to find out.