Ferrari Carry Burden of History and Expectation as they Unveil 2022 Car

Ferrari unveiled a stunning new car done up in a red and black livery in a throwback to the past. (Ferrari)
Ferrari unveiled a stunning new car done up in a red and black livery in a throwback to the past. (Ferrari)
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Ferrari Carry Burden of History and Expectation as they Unveil 2022 Car

Ferrari unveiled a stunning new car done up in a red and black livery in a throwback to the past. (Ferrari)
Ferrari unveiled a stunning new car done up in a red and black livery in a throwback to the past. (Ferrari)

Ferrari are aiming for a return to competitiveness in 2022, with their F1-75 challenger unveiled on Thursday carrying the weight of history and expectation for the sport's oldest and most successful team.

The Maranello-based squad have raced in every season of Formula One since the championship was founded in 1950 and have won more races and championships than anyone.

They have crowned some of the sport's greats including Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher.

But their last champion remains now-retired Kimi Raikkonen who won the title in 2007.

Last year the team, despite bouncing back from a dismal 2020 to take third in the constructors' standings, went without a win for the second season in a row.

"Our objective for 2022 certainly is being back to being competitive and being competitive means being capable of winning races," team principal Mattia Binotto told reporters following the car's launch on Thursday.

"That's the way we see it at the moment and I think we will be pretty happy if we will be in that position."

Formula One is introducing its biggest rules shake up in decades, with cars featuring revised aerodynamics and bigger 18-inch wheels aimed at improving the racing spectacle.

The new rules could shake up the established order and Ferrari, who unveiled a stunning new car done up in a red and black livery in a throwback to the past, are clearly eyeing this season as an opportunity.

The word innovation was repeatedly used during the launch of the challenger, designated the F1-75 mark 75 years since founder Enzo Ferrari manufactured the first car to bear his name.

At the same time the new rules are a step into the unknown. But, despite the uncertainty, Binotto and the team's drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz said the team's efforts into developing the car gave them confidence.

"Of course expectations are high because we are Ferrari, we are the team that is expected to win all the time," said Leclerc heading into his fourth season as a Ferrari driver.

"What makes me confident about this year's car is the work that I've seen in the past few months.

"It's never easy to know until you're really on track for the first qualifying of the year and see the final picture.

"But the feeling is good."



Ronaldo Nazario to Lead Soccer Taskforce Aiming to Eradicate Racism, Discrimination

FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
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Ronaldo Nazario to Lead Soccer Taskforce Aiming to Eradicate Racism, Discrimination

FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Brazil’s two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario will lead a special taskforce created to try to eradicate racism, discrimination, and violence in South American soccer, the sport's continental governing body said Thursday.
“Its mission will be to design policies and establish prevention and sanction mechanisms that contribute to eradicating these behaviors that affect both sport and society,” CONMEBOL said in a statement.
The 48-year-old Ronaldo retired in 2019 after a career that included World Cup titles in 1994 and in 2002.
The appointment followed a meeting of leaders, government officials, former players and player union representatives convened by CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez to address the issues following his controversial statements about Brazilian football, The Associated Press reported.
Domínguez created a furor when he said Brazilian clubs withdrawing from the Copa Libertadores because of episodes of racism would make the competition “like Tarzan without Cheetah.”
CONMEBOL has been under increased pressure to act decisively against racism. Several Brazilian players and fans have been targeted by monkey chants at away matches in recent years, which has also brought more pressure on officials to act.
In addition to Ronaldo, former FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and former Argentina player Sergio Marchi, president of FIFPRO South America, will be part of the task force.