"Call it a normal start" - Ferrari driver claims 'nowhere near' to finding car performance, despite swift times

Carlos Sainz refused to get carried away by Ferrari’s impressive start to the 2022 season, as the team aced their first pre-season test in Barcelona. The Spaniard cautioned that their run programs over the last few days have been about collecting as much data as possible rather than seeking performance.

When asked if he felt good about Ferrari’s 2022 prospects given their impressive testing run during the media session, Sainz said:

“It feels not like a good start in terms of feeling, but a normal start. I would call it a normal start because we didn’t have any single problems so far, and I managed to do a whole run plan. It’s been a good start in terms of reliability. We’ve managed to complete one day and a half of testing without pretty much any single issue, which is an encouraging start for us. This is what we’re here for in Barcelona.”

He further said:

“Unfortunately for you guys, it’s not very exciting because we are nowhere near to the limit of the car or finding where the performances is. But we’re doing laps, and we’re completing them nicely.”

Sainz feels it's impossible to gauge where the Scuderia stacks up against the rest of the field. This is because each team has been focussing on their own run plans, with varying levels of fuel loads, engine mapping and more. He says that if teams want, they can go at least “three or four seconds faster” by taking out the excess fuel.

Predicting a team’s potential for the rest of the season from their pre-season performances has always been a messy prospect. As pointed out by Sainz, teams usually prefer to hide their true performance — often referred to as sand-bagging — as they do not want to give away their potential advantage to their rivals.

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Ferrari counters Mercedes’ claims of “being months ahead” of rest of pack

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has rubbished Lewis Hamilton’s claims of the Scuderia being “months ahead” in terms of performance compared to the rest of the grid.

When asked if he agreed with Hamilton’s assertions during an interview with Sky Sports on Day 3 of the Barcelona testing, Binotto said:

“I am pretty sure they [Mercedes] will be two or three months ahead of us by the time we well be in Bahrain.”

Binotto feels the Mercedes W13 will be radically different during the season opener compared to the current specifications. He expects Ferrari to still be an “outsider rather than favourite” for the championship in 2022.