Eddie Irvine was once Michael Schumacher’s partner at Ferrari, and by the way, he took his first win in Australia in 1999. Before the Melbourne race, the Irishman shared his impressions of modern Formula 1 in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
Q: What do you think of the Ferrari team competing in the 2022 World Championship?
Eddie Irvine: I think she’s had a great start to the season. In the first two stages, both the team’s riders climbed to the podium, and Charles Leclerc won in Bahrain, but could very well have won in Saudi Arabia. So the team makes a good impression.
Q: Do you see any commonalities with the Ferrari you performed in?
Eddie Irvine: With the exception of Mattia Binotto, I don’t know anyone on this team. But I remember, for example, that even in my time we started preparing for the 2000 season very early. That summer at Silverstone Michael broke his leg and I started winning races. Then I parted ways with the team, but they really deserved the success they had in the early 2000s.
Q: You mentioned Binotto – what was he like then?
Eddie Irvine: He was always perfectly calm, I don’t remember him being very worried. But even now I don’t quite understand how he manages to keep that calm.
He has made real progress. It is not easy to work at Ferrari and it is very correct that he has remained the head of the team. This suggests that Maranello finally understood the importance of succession. The team just needs time.
For instance. Jean Todt came to Ferrari in 1993, but she did not win the title until seven years later, although such a racer as Michael Schumacher played for her. But Ross Brown and Rory Byrne also worked on the team.
The road to victories is long, so I think Mattia has done a lot. I’m happy for him, because he started as a test team engineer, but gradually grew to team leader. I think he has achieved a lot.
Q: Binotto said a few years ago that Charles Leclerc is better than Verstappen as a driver. Do you think he always thought that, despite Max becoming world champion last year?
Eddie Irvine: I don’t think there are drivers in F1 who are faster than Verstappen, but he still makes mistakes and Leclerc doesn’t.
Q: But last year in Monaco, Charles missed the right chance to win when he crashed the car even though he won the pole position…
Eddie Irvine: It’s true, but the accident in qualifying doesn’t change the overall picture much. Verstappen is wrong because he is acting very aggressive and getting too carried away.
I think Hamilton spent a long time trying to avoid incidents last year, and then probably thought, “Enough, if you want accidents, you’ll get them.” And it almost cost Verstappen the title. It’s a shame Lewis failed to win the championship, he deserved it, but… But it’s time for him to end his career.
Question: To whom? Hamilton?
Eddie Irvine: Yes, because this year he probably won’t achieve much. He is a strong guy, but even he is upset by such results in qualifying because he is used to having the best car.
Q: Is there a chance Mercedes will bounce back?
Eddie Irvine: I don’t know, they have everything to progress – both resources and infrastructure, but now you have to consider that the budgets of the teams are limited, which was not the case in my time.
Personally, I don’t mind that Mercedes had a hard time, as this brand does not appeal to me. At the same time, I believe Hamilton is a real hero and I like what Toto Wolff says and how he thinks. They are both superstars.
Q: What about Leclerc?
Eddie Irvine: Charles is a very intelligent and mature person, a real person.
It seems to me that Verstappen falls short in this regard. But he has a great talent.
Q: Will it be easier for Leclerc to fight for the title in Verstappen than with Hamilton?
Eddie Irvine: Both are great racers, it’s not easy to beat them. Hamilton is exceptional in general, although it seems to me that he is still inferior to Verstappen in terms of speed. Max reminds me of Michael Schumacher because he can be incredibly fast, and none of his teammates can keep up with him, even though they have the same cars.
Q: How can Sainz and Perez influence the confrontation between Leclerc and Verstappen?
Eddie Irvine: This could be a problem for Charles: on the one hand, Carlos is still Ferrari’s number 2 driver, but on the other, Sainz can lead the way in some situations. Therefore, instead of Binotto, I would give the riders clear instructions, as it was in my time. Beating Verstappen is always difficult, and when you also have a strong partner who takes away points…
And Perez won’t be able to for Max in standard conditions.
Q: Do you think Ferrari is on the cusp of another winning cycle?
Eddie Irvine: It is too early to draw such conclusions as this year the battle will only intensify with each stage. Ferrari will have to fight with Red Bull, with Max Verstappen, with Adrian Newey, and this fight could go on for a long time.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
