Mattia Binotto plays down Ferrari expectations despite strong testing week

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto has said that the Scuderia are ‘outsiders’ for the Formula 1 world championship this season despite their strong early showings in testing in Barcelona this week.

The Scuderia have had a strong testing period in Barcelona this week with them topping the timesheets on day 2 and getting in plenty of laps with good reliability.

Indeed, it’s clear that every team is holding a bit back in reserve at this point and so the true running order of the pack cannot be accurately predicted just yet, but there is a thought bubble going around that Ferrari are certainly near the top of the tree.

Despite that, though, Binotto has said that Ferrari remain underdogs heading into the new season, and it’s clear he is not getting carried away:

“If you look at the amount, it’s a couple of sessions on the entire year, it’s maybe a tenth per lap, if you are very good,” he said via Autosport.

“And I think that’s the amount, and then it’s all how you manage priorities, how good you are and how efficient in your activities.

“If I look at Mercedes and Red Bull, how strong they were last year, no doubt that as teams they are very, very strong. And I think the regulations are in place to help the ones that are less efficient.

“Overall, I think as Ferrari it was important for us try to to put focus on priority on the 2022 car. We always said it was a good opportunity.

“Now we are on track, we try to learn the car. How we benefit from that I think only the next months will tell us, and not the next day.

“Before we see the potential, the full potential of these cars, I think it could take at least four to five races, because there is so much to learn, to adapt, to address. Even the first race will be a completely