Ferrari Seeks Answers on Performance Struggles at Silverstone
Silverstone, UK – The Ferrari Formula 1 team is hoping to use this weekend’s free practice sessions at the British Grand Prix to find further insights into why its recent upgrades have not yet translated into improved on-track performance.
Since winning the Monaco Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc, Ferrari has generally fallen behind Mercedes in the pecking order, despite introducing a significant upgrade package at the Spanish Grand Prix. While the new parts have brought some improvements, they have also induced bouncing in high-speed corners, which Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz have identified as their main issue currently, negating some of the performance gains.
“Bouncing 100% costs you time. What I think is that it costs you even more time than what you think,” Sainz explained.
With the Austrian race being a sprint weekend with just one free practice session, Ferrari is eager to use the traditional format of the British Grand Prix to delve deeper into why their car is not behaving as expected. The team plans to conduct back-to-back tests between the two cars to better understand the situation.
“We revert to the standard format this weekend, which means we have three hours of free practice in which to find a set-up that allows us to exploit the benefits that the new parts should deliver,” said team boss Fred Vasseur. “Knowing how best to set up the car can actually have a bigger effect on lap time than the specific benefits of any new components.”
However, the British weather could potentially disrupt Ferrari’s test program, as rainy conditions on Friday morning may force the team to postpone their planned evaluations to the next race.
“If it rains [too much], then maybe the test that we wanted to do between both cars to confirm a few things will have to be postponed to the next race,” Leclerc acknowledged.
Both Leclerc and Sainz are determined to find a solution to the bouncing issue, which they believe is costing the team more lap time than initially thought, with set-up compromises also affecting the car’s performance in lower-speed corners.
With the British Grand Prix just around the corner, Ferrari will be hoping to use the free practice sessions to uncover the answers they need to regain their competitive edge and challenge for top positions once again.
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