"Beating Verstappen is already tough" - Former Ferrari F1 driver wants Mattia Binotto to 'give precise orders' in championship fight

Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine is of the opinion that Ferrari would benefit from having clarity with regards to driver roles and team orders in their fight for the 2022 world championship. Ferrari have not won a world championship since 2007 and often resorted to such tactics in the early days, but they have been clear about giving both drivers a fair and equal shot in recent times.

However, with Charles Leclerc significantly leading the charge in 2022, Irvine claims, as per Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, that the only real chance the team could have of beating reigning world champion Max Verstappen is if they ensure that Carlos Sainz does not come in the Monegasque's way:

"If I were Mattia, I would give precise orders, like in my day, because beating Verstappen is already tough. This is a problem for Charles because Sainz, who is number two, can occasionally find himself in front. If you have a teammate who can snatch points... Perez, under normal conditions, can't beat Max."

Ferrari insist that Sainz is not here as a number two driver, but with the season progressing the way it is, there is a good chance he will take up a more supportive role within the team. The Spaniard has had a relatively difficult start to the season, struggling to find comfort with the 2022 challenger the way his teammate did very early on. Sainz currently stands 38 points behind Leclerc in the drivers' standings.

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"Our drivers are free to fight" - Ferrari are not considering team orders right now

Despite the significant lead Charles Leclerc holds over his Ferrari teammate and the rest of the grid, team boss Mattia Binotto insists that it is too early in the championship for team orders and that the two drivers have not been given any special instructions in terms of fighting each other.

As reported by Autosport, Binotto said:

“It's only three races which have been done now. There are still 20 races left, hopefully 19 or 20. So the championship is still very long. Our drivers are free to fight, and I am really looking forward and enjoying that they are battling for a good place, and first place, if possible.”

It must also be noted that Sainz suffered a DNF in the last race in Melbourne, largely due to pure bad luck and issues with his steering, while he did admit to pushing too much. Despite this, the team has a comfortable lead in the constructors' standings.