F1 2022 – Ferrari able to match Mercedes and Honda

Ferrari confident new power unit F1 2022 will match Mercedes and Honda.

Ferrari has performed excellently on the first 3 test days. The racing team from Maranello seems to have made good progress last winter and the competition sees that as well.

The vibe after three days of testing is that all of Ferrari’s rivals are talking up the team from Maranello, the work it has done with its car and the apparent power of its new engine.

This is a big opportunity for Ferrari because it had a decent chunk more windtunnel time and CFD work permitted by the regulations in the first half of last year, because it finished sixth in 2020. And over the rest of 2021 it still had a bigger aero testing allowance than Mercedes and Red Bull.

Ferrari is happy to acknowledge this has manifested itself into a few positives with the F1-75: lots of laps, the car’s behaving well in terms of balance and reliability, and there have been no big issues setting back its preparation.

Ferrari’s gains in the engine department reportedly could bring them level with the Mercedes and Honda power units.

The 2022 campaign is all change in Formula 1 thanks to the new-look challengers, as well as the switch to Pirelli’s 18-inch tyres, but major work has also been going on with the engines that will power these cars.

Since these V6 turbo-hybrid engines were introduced, the era has been largely dominated by Mercedes, although Honda emerged as a true competitor in 2021, powering Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the Drivers’ Championship.

The Mercedes and Honda power units are expected to remain at the top of the class for 2022 but as per La Gazzetta dello Sport, the word is that Ferrari have been able to match them.

“Rumours speak of major progress on the ICE (internal combustion engine), combined with a super-evolved hybrid part, for a total power output that would now be on a par with Mercedes and Honda,” the report states.

On the engine front, the report added that the Renault engine is still proving to be a weakness for Alpine, that despite the manufacturer prioritising performance over reliability for this new PU.

The team lost some vital track time at the shakedown in Barcelona, with Fernando Alonso bringing his smoking A522 to a stop in the morning session on the third and final day, that proving to be their final action of the test.

More news : We have the utmost confidence in C42 – said Team Principal Fred Vasseur

It was later confirmed to be a “problem with the hydraulics” as a “minor sealing issue had led to a fire in the back of the car”.

There were no such reliability problems for McLaren, whom La Gazzetta dello Sport say appear to have found the best solution of any team for exploiting the ground-effect aerodynamic philosophy on these 2022 cars.

In addition, the report claims Aston Martin were displaying an aerodynamic instability problem in Barcelona, hampering their pace.

Teams have the upcoming official pre-season test in Bahrain from March 10-12 to further develop their challengers, with the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix taking place on March 20.

Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  for all the latest updates between issues.

F1 2022 – Ferrari able to match Mercedes and Honda F1 2022 – Ferrari able to match Mercedes and Honda