Ferrari engineer likens Red Bull's 2022 F1 season to a Muhammad Ali counterpunch

Ferrari explained that every time they thought they had Red Bull against the ropes in 2022, they landed a Muhammad Ali-esque counterpunch.

With the regulatory reset Formula 1 underwent for the 2022 campaign, Ferrari saw that as a golden opportunity to return to fighting for wins and titles. The early signs were very promising.

Winning two of the opening three races while Red Bull battled reliability issues, Ferrari appeared to be firmly in control, until they were not as Red Bull swung the situation in their favour, helped by Ferrari shooting themselves in the foot several times.

And for much of the second half of the season, Red Bull also enjoyed the dominant challenger, and the RB18 winning 17 of the 22 Grands Prix, 15 of those going the way of Max Verstappen in a record-breaking campaign.

Ferrari, meanwhile, hit the cost cap and concluded development work on their F1-75, seeing off the lingering threat of Mercedes to claim P2 in the Constructors' Championship. A solid performance from the team and driver saw Charles Leclerc finish P2 in Abu Dhabi and secure the same spot in the Drivers' Championship.

Red Bull and Ali

Jock Clear, Ferrari's senior performance engineer and driver coach, explained how Red Bull was like Muhammad Ali, using their title-winning know-how to be flexible enough to rock Ferrari with that heavy blow every time they thought they were in control.

"I think that's probably been Red Bull's strength this year, as they seem to have been flexible," said Clear, as per Motorsport.com.

"There were times when it was a bit like Muhammad Ali. It seemed like you had them on the ropes, they'd twist a little bit, and they'd come out and 'bang'. And you're like, 'my god, where did they get that from?'

"I think it's the