Ferrari to bring forward Hungary upgrades for Styrian GP introduction
- Published on 06 Jul 2020 19:50
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Ferrari has confirmed that it will bring some of its upgrades planned for Hungary to the Styrian Grand Prix weekend in order to cut into the gap to the front of the field.
At the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix last week, many were shocked at Ferrari's performance, with Sebastian Vettel failing to advance past Q2 during Saturday's qualifying session.
While Charles Leclerc managed to break into the top ten, the Monegasque driver could only set the seventh fastest lap and was out-paced by one McLaren and one Racing Point car.
Ferrari confirmed ahead of the opening weekend in Spielberg that it would run the same car it used at pre-season testing in February before introducing major upgrades at the third round in Hungary.
However, following a disastrous first race for the Maranello outfit, it has opted to fast-track development and bring some of the upgrades to the second race weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
Ferrari states that it does not expect the upgrades to “completely bridge the gap compared to the front of the grid” but is hopeful they will “allow the team to move up the order and put the drivers in a better condition to be able to display their talent”.
Ferrari is also keen to ensure that the development path it has chosen is the correct one, as it will be able to do a true back-to-back comparison on every upgrade.
After the race first weekend in Austria, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto claimed the team was losing seven-tenths of a second alone down the straights.
Last year, Ferrari held a clear advantage in a straight line for much of the year, with controversy surrounding the secret findings from the FIA during an investigation into its 2019 power unit.
Charles Leclerc managed to finish last Sunday's race in second place while teammate Sebastian Vettel admitted he was 'happy' to only spin once in a difficult-to-handle car.
Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri said of the difficult situation: “We know there’s lots of work to do. This is certainly not the grid position that a team like Ferrari should have and we have to respond immediately.
“It’s clear that we have to improve on all fronts. The only solution is to react and I’m pleased by the immediate reaction and the work that Mattia and all his team are putting in at every level.
“This is not just to bring to the track today what was scheduled to be ready tomorrow, but also to speed up the programme of development for the coming races.
“This is the response of a united team which is rolling up its sleeves and facing the problems head on, without crying about it. We are at the start of a new cycle with a long term plan.”
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Replies (6)
Login to replyf1ski
Posts: 726
Ferrari will only bring part of the package and it will not work as intended and they will be worse off! So ferrari to act in an incorrect way .
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Fully agree, regardless it's too late, the damage is done.
JuJuHound
Posts: 352
It took me awhile to get why it is Styrian Gran Prix.
This podium happened due to the fact both Red Bullw were out, Lewis penalty, couple Safety Car apperances... Leclerc said he got maximum from the car but the fact is we all are surprised of the poor performance by Ferrari, especially straight line speed is awful. This shows 2019 was a season they did something tricky there. Naughty Maranello boys.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
It doesn't really, because the issue here lie within the car being very draggy, rather than lacking in power. Last year the car was good in the straights but slow in corners. Last year was a different year with different trickery.
essaouira311
Posts: 158
No, no, no.
They will never make it...
Insane Italian mentality is always lurking out there...
DGuzmanG
Posts: 15
I get the Ferrari bashing but it makes sense... It's such an odd thing to have very recent data of the circuit you are going to test, let alone a whole GP worth of data to compare with. If they are planning to better assess the upgrades' effectiveness it's a very unique opportunity