Ferrari treated McLaren F1 battle like 'a fight for the championship'

The Italian manufacturer secured third behind Mercedes and Red Bull at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari’s strong form in the second half of the season allowed it to move well clear of McLaren.

Its engine upgrade which was introduced at the Russian Grand Prix seemed to give Ferrari a crucial advantage having been behind McLaren for most of the season.

This allowed Carlos Sainz to secure fifth in the drivers’ championship, scoring points in 14 consecutive races, while Charles Leclerc secured seventh overall.

“We treated this year’s fight as if it was for the championship, in terms of how valuable is every single opportunity, how valuable is every single point, how you need to adapt and evolve in race weekends that will throw unknowns at you,” Mekies said.

“It can be new tracks, it can be a difficult balance, it can be weather conditions, and we took that as a fight for the championship, even though we know we are not fast enough to fight for the championship. 

“So what is the conclusion of that? We feel it was a good fight, we feel we made some good progress, we are convinced that the direction is the correct one. Do we have the staff to take the next step? Yes. To the next fight? Yes. 

“There is more steps to take, but with the right energy and time they will come.”

Ferrari is hopeful that 2022 will be the year it can return to championship glory having not won either title since 2008.

The Scuderia will unveil its new challenger on February 17, six days before pre-season gets underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.