Despite a lackluster start to the campaign, as they struggled with reliability and fell behind on pace, Red Bull managed to turn things around.
A combination of weight reduction and aerodynamic improvements to the RB18 made it the dominant car after the summer break, as the team raced to both championships, and Ferrari had nothing in response – especially when it halted development due to cost cap limits.
Reflecting on the ebb and flow of the 2022 season, Ferrari’s lead performance engineer Jock Clear felt Red Bull had done well to ensure it had the freedom with its spending to step forward when he had to.
“I think that’s probably Red Bull’s strength this year because they seem to have been flexible,” Clear said.
“There were times when it was a bit of a Muhammad Ali approach.
“It sounded like you had them on the ropes and they kinda wiggled and went out and ‘bang’. And you’re like, ‘Oh my God, where did they get that?’
“I think that’s just the experience they’ve had as world champions. And that’s what we have to get used to.
“This year has been of great help. We have been at the front, we have fought at the front.
“We’ve learned a lot this year and we’re on a steep learning curve, like all teams.”
Jock Clear, driver trainer, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Clear says one of the key things Ferrari needs to better understand for 2023 is how to deploy its resources over the campaign to maximize the performance of the car and get back below the cost cap.
He suspects Ferrari paid the price late in the season for spending more on developing the car early on, while Red Bull has been more consistent throughout.
“The difficulty is knowing where you’re going to spend your money most effectively and efficiently,” he said.
“And that must take a bit of planning.
“Of course, as this planning unfolds, you learn that you may have made some bad decisions earlier for a path you’re on now.
“Red Bull obviously did a very good job reacting where they saw the pressure, but without losing sight of the fact that they have to focus only on the performance of the car.
“And I think from our perspective, we’ve done everything we set out to do this year. But it is a relative sport.
“So yes, we underperformed against Red Bull in the second half, but you would say Mercedes left it all too late, if you know what I mean.
“Between the three teams, maybe you pushed us a little too early, Mercedes pushing a little late and Red Bull finding the right balance. And we have to learn from it. »
But while Ferrari were disappointed to lose to Red Bull during the season, Clear says the scale of his team’s progress should not be underestimated.
“We definitely took a big step forward this year,” he said. “We came into the final races and were like, ‘oh, what could have been’, but it’s amazing how quickly you reset your goals.
“And, if you had offered this 12 months ago, we would have ripped your arm off. We are very proud of what we have managed to do this year.
“It’s a big, big step forward. Now it needs to be maintained. We stopped developing this car earlier in the season to make sure we stay competitive next year and we hit the bullseye from the first race.
Despite a lackluster start to the campaign, as they struggled with reliability and fell behind on pace, Red Bull managed to turn things around.
A combination of weight reduction and aerodynamic improvements to the RB18 made it the dominant car after the summer break, as the team raced to both championships, and Ferrari had nothing in response – especially when it halted development due to cost cap limits.
Reflecting on the ebb and flow of the 2022 season, Ferrari’s lead performance engineer Jock Clear felt Red Bull had done well to ensure it had the freedom with its spending to step forward when he had to.
“I think that’s probably Red Bull’s strength this year because they seem to have been flexible,” Clear said.
“There were times when it was a bit of a Muhammad Ali approach.
“It sounded like you had them on the ropes and they kinda wiggled and went out and ‘bang’. And you’re like, ‘Oh my God, where did they get that?’
“I think that’s just the experience they’ve had as world champions. And that’s what we have to get used to.
“This year has been of great help. We have been at the front, we have fought at the front.
“We’ve learned a lot this year and we’re on a steep learning curve, like all teams.”
Jock Clear, driver trainer, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Clear says one of the key things Ferrari needs to better understand for 2023 is how to deploy its resources over the campaign to maximize the performance of the car and get back below the cost cap.
He suspects Ferrari paid the price late in the season for spending more on developing the car early on, while Red Bull has been more consistent throughout.
“The difficulty is knowing where you’re going to spend your money most effectively and efficiently,” he said.
“And that must take a bit of planning.
“Of course, as this planning unfolds, you learn that you may have made some bad decisions earlier for a path you’re on now.
“Red Bull obviously did a very good job reacting where they saw the pressure, but without losing sight of the fact that they have to focus only on the performance of the car.
“And I think from our perspective, we’ve done everything we set out to do this year. But it is a relative sport.
“So yes, we underperformed against Red Bull in the second half, but you would say Mercedes left it all too late, if you know what I mean.
“Between the three teams, maybe you pushed us a little too early, Mercedes pushing a little late and Red Bull finding the right balance. And we have to learn from it. »
But while Ferrari were disappointed to lose to Red Bull during the season, Clear says the scale of his team’s progress should not be underestimated.
“We definitely took a big step forward this year,” he said. “We came into the final races and were like, ‘oh, what could have been’, but it’s amazing how quickly you reset your goals.
“And, if you had offered this 12 months ago, we would have ripped your arm off. We are very proud of what we have managed to do this year.
“It’s a big, big step forward. Now it needs to be maintained. We stopped developing this car earlier in the season to make sure we stay competitive next year and we hit the bullseye from the first race.