Well-connected Italian journalist Leo Turrini says while they are confident about their 2022 power unit, aero doubts remain for Ferrari.
Ferrari are battling to return to title contention after two seasons away from the sharp end of the grid.
The Scuderia fell away in 2019 after their spell at the front abruptly ended, at the same time as an engine-related technical directive was issued.
The 2020 campaign was then spent scrapping to finish in the points. But after a strong recovery in 2021, when Ferrari took two pole positions and five podium finishes on the way to P3 in the Constructors’ Championship, their sights are now set on returning to race and title-winning ways.
Ferrari hope the new regulations for 2022 will help their cause, as a radical design shift for the challengers presents a clear opportunity to move up the pecking order.
In addition, Ferrari and the other power unit manufacturers are hard at work creating their new specifications for 2022, which will be the last of this era as a freeze then comes into play, lasting until 2025 at which point the new engines are scheduled to arrive for the following season.
On the engine front, Turrini, a respected reporter and insider in Italy, stated in his Quotidiano blog that Ferrari are very happy with the new power unit, believing it will be a match for the leaders in that field.
“As far as I know, Ferrari are 100 per cent sure they were able to catch up with the leaders in terms of engine power, even despite the transition to biofuel,” he wrote.
As for the area where Ferrari are not certain, that is the aerodynamics because this brand new era, albeit with more restrictive regulations, allows for new experiments on the cars.
Of course, while this has the potential to propel a team forward, it can also have the opposite effect – so this is where Ferrari have some doubts.
“But some veiled doubts remain about certain innovative solutions in the field of aerodynamics,” Turrini wrote.
Turrini also urged caution over expectations for Ferrari to emerge as 2022 title contenders.
“You have to be careful with expectations,” he stated.
“It should be understood that, if at the first race of the season Ferrari are half a second behind Red Bull and Mercedes, the dream of a title race is over.”
Ferrari will continue with the duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc for 2022, both drivers having impressed in their first season as Ferrari team-mates in 2021.
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