In the 2022 season, with only one race, Ferrari, which fell to the midstream team, is back to the top again, can the former king win the world championship again?
After 910 days of waiting, Ferrari fans finally waited for their beloved team to win the Grand Prix again. The last time was on 22 September 2019, Vettel won in Singapore and was the last time the team finished in the top two. Leclerc finished 2nd at the time.
Leclerc at the time was seen as a rare genius who could become a future world champion. It was this talent of his that squeezed Vettel out. All along, Leclerc lacked the capital to attack the championship, and could only aim to score points, after all, the Ferrari cars of the past few years have not been very powerful.
Ferrari is currently the strongest
In the 2022 season, things have finally changed. With the support of F1-75, the two Ferrari drivers can strike towards higher targets. Under the new rules, Ferrari is clearly the most successful team to adjust. The car is stable and the new engine is powerful. Haas team leader Steiner also said the Ferrari engine was the strongest.
The outstanding performance of Ferrari cars can be seen in the tests in Barcelona and Bahrain, and at that time, it was still thought that Red Bull and Mercedes had deliberate reservations, but after a stop in Bahrain, it was certain that this was Ferrari's true strength.
From the beginning of the game until the end, Leclerc managed to maintain the lead over Verstappen. Even with Verstappen attacking on laps 17 to 19, Leclerc always managed to grab the spot. On lap 50 of the restart of the race, its advantage was even more pronounced.
In this way, without much pressure, Leclerc won the first race of the 2022 season.
"We should start this season like this, top two, oh my God." Leclerc excitedly spoke to the convoy after crossing the line.
At the award ceremony, the once-familiar Italian national anthem was once again heard.
Effort pays off
Leclerc said: "I've been so lucky, the team has been too difficult in the last two years. Everyone has done incredible work for this race car. A complete win with Carlos, can we expect more, thank you all. ”
The biggest beneficiary of Verstappen's retirement was another Ferrari driver, Sainz, who moved up to second place and secured Ferrari's complete victory.
Sainz was very excited after the game: "Congratulations to Charles, Ferrari is back. The team's hard work over the past two years has finally paid off. ”
I want to renew Sainz's contract
Both Sainz and team leader Binotto admit that the game sometimes requires some luck. Binotto, who has been the target of people's attacks in the past, can finally raise his eyebrows and breathe a sigh of relief.
The problem of racing is solved, and then there is the problem of the driver. Sainz's contract expires at the end of 2022 and Binotto says the team is keen to stay with him for the long term. "Our goal is to continue to work together."
Ferrari's Grand Prix victory has been waiting for two and a half years, and there are more important goals waiting for them. The last time Ferrari won a world title was more than a decade ago.