"Second is the first of the losers" - Ferrari CEO dissatisfied with F1 team's 2022 performance

Despite Mattia Binotto's rather optimistic rating for the 2022 season, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has stated that he is dissatisfied with the results the F1 team brought in given the potential the car had. He said this in a discussion about the 2022 F1 season where the Scuderia finished 2nd in the constructors' standings.

While many have been content with the improved finish after many years, Vigna stated that this place is for 'losers', saying:

"I said it at the last quarterly, I'm not satisfied with the second place because the second is the first of the losers."

After what started as a dream season for Ferrari, the team ended up disappointing everyone by making a plethora of mistakes. A successful 1-2 finish in the first race in Bahrain put them in a prime position for the next couple of races. A lot, however, was on the way for them.

The team suffered especially in terms of strategy and reliability. Wrong pit calls and stint choices caused Charles Leclerc to lose massive points in races like Monaco and Hungary. Meanwhile, multiple engine issues caused both drivers to suffer.

At the end of the season, the team ultimately lost their battle against Red Bull in both the constructors' and drivers' championships after Max Verstappen won his second title. Scuderia could only follow them up in the 2nd position, which disappointed Vigna.

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Ferrari CEO acknowledges team's growth in past seasons

Despite being discontented, Benedetto Vigna did take note of all the work Ferrari did in the previous seasons. He stated that he was happy with the progression of the team, but since there was a good opportunity to finish better, he is not completely satisfied. He believes that the team will recover in time because they 'have what it takes.'

Vigna said:

"We made some progress, so I'm happy with the progress made, I'm not satisfied with second place. I think the team has what it takes to improve over time."

Ferrari has been under speculation of going through a major personnel change. Reports say that team principal Mattia Binotto, who has been a support in the technical department of the team for the past (almost) three decades, will soon be replaced. The team's recent strategic errors have seen calls for his replacement grow louder, with many expecting him to be demoted.

Due to his technological upper hand in the team, many believe he would serve better as the technical head. It has been speculated, however, that he would not accept a demotion since he has been with them for so long and might leave the team entirely.

While there have been many questions about his apparent replacement, Frédéric Vasseur, the team principal of Alfa Romeo, is being reported as a possible candidate. There have been, however, no official statements regarding this.