"We are suffering tire degradation"- Ferrari boss explains why Red Bull have been better than them in second half of 2022 F1 season

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has cited severe tire degradation as one of the main reasons for their current race trim deficit to Red Bull.

According to the Italian, his team has car balance issues due to the upgrades they installed in the second half of the season.

Speaking to the on-site media at the Italian GP, Binotto said:

"I think we do not only look back at the previous two [races] but the last three because I would include, as well, Hungary. In the last races, I think that the performance of Red Bull has been better than ours.

"Not in qualifying, because I see that in quali we have still got a good pace - so let me say the pure performance is still there. But then with the race pace, we are suffering tire degradation."

Binotto is also of the opinion that Red Bull have managed to develop a much better car concept than Ferrari.

Explaining the other weaknesses of his team's car, the 52-year-old said:

"In that respect, I think the Red Bull is a better car, so they've been capable of developing that car for a better balance that we didn’t. The reason? I think it is something that we are looking at because we need to address it. If not for this season, certainly for the next one."

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Ferrari's Mattia Binotto cites "aero developments" as reason for their car's balance issues

Mattia Binotto has explained how some of the aero developments that Ferrari made to their car have led to heavy tire degradation and poor balance. He added that they are still trying to investigate the issues.

Describing the nature of their problems, Binotto said:

"If we look back at the last races, where in terms of tyre degradation we have not been the best, we certainly had issues with the car balance. Having an open balance, medium-high speed to low-speed corners, generated overheating into the tyres themselves, which somehow then brings to the degradation.

"So, we know that the car balance was not the right one. The reason of the poor car balance was due to aero developments that brought us there. It was a question mark for us."

Ferrari have lagged behind in race pace at circuits like Monza. Max Verstappen led Charles Leclerc by almost 27 seconds at one point in the race.

Despite a glitchy start to the 2022 campaign, Red Bull were able to develop their car concept into a more reliable and stable one compared to their Maranello rivals.