Is Ferrari’s 2022 F1 title challenge already over?

Ferrari began the 2022 season with a 1-2 in Bahrain, but now find themselves trailing Red Bull after a poor run of form.

The Formula 1 paddock thought the days of the early 2000s had returned when Scuderia Ferrari stormed to victory in Bahrain while title rivals Red Bull ended their race early following a double-DNF.

Despite a brief scare for Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia, with Max Verstappen overtaking the Monegasque to win the race, he would resume an even stronger lead in Australia following yet another failure for Verstappen.

Ferrari’s return to home soil, with Imola hosting round four in 2022, was where it all went wrong. Carlos Sainz, who had already suffered issues down under, exited the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the first corner.

On the other side of the garage, Leclerc would find himself trailing the Red Bull drivers before spinning into the barriers while chasing after Sergio Perez.

Two DNFs in Spain and Azerbaijan and just a single podium later, and Leclerc finds himself 49 points behind Verstappen with the RB18 seemingly the best car on the grid. Meanwhile, Ferrari trail Red Bull by 76 points.

However, following an interview with the BBC, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has said the team was not targeting a world championship fight in 2022.

He said:

“We set our objectives to be back competitive in 2022. So our objective is to be competitive, not to win the championship, and it would be completely wrong to turn that into, ‘let’s try to win the championship because we are so competitive.’

“Being competitive is one fact, becoming world champion is another level of task.

“No doubt what we intend to do is to try to open a cycle – become world champion, and not only once; try to stay there. But I think it will take some time.”

So, with their focus perhaps shifted on to a title fight for next season, can the prancing horse still mount a realistic title fight?

From their pace at the recent Grands Prix, the answer could be simply that Leclerc and Sainz may have to wait another season to live out their dream of becoming a champion in a scarlet car.

Leclerc will have to perform in Silverstone in two weeks time if he hopes to remain within distance of a charging and hungry reigning world champion.

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