Formula 1 teams Ferrari had a hard time during the winter tests before getting back to normal from the Australian GP. But throughout the season, its engine had been inconsistent. This should not be the case in 2020.
With some highs, notably in the middle of the summer and a more complicated end of the season with teams, notably Red Bull and Max Verstappen, who had clearly questioned the legality of the Scuderia Ferrari engine.
This season, Ferrari’s single-seaters appeared less prominently during winter tests with only the 4th best total time signed by Leclerc in 1’16 ”360 to more than 6 tenths of Mercedes’ best time with Valtteri Bottas.
Speaking to reporters, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said its F1 engine at a different level to its customer teams in testing last week.
“We believe that we are not the fastest car at the moment, so I think on lap time we will be behind [at] the start of the season,” Binotto said.
“What are we lacking? The car of this season compared to the one of last season is overall faster, but we are faster in the corners, slower on the straights.
“This was an objective in designing that car. We knew last year that we were too slow in the corners, so we tried to put as much downforce as we could on the car to make it as fast as possible in the corners.
“But now we are paying for it on the straights. I still think in terms of overall balance, set-up, slow-speed corners, it’s something where we need to improve. But that’s part of the job and the task for this week.” Binotto added.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has admitted that Ferrari new engine offers a step forward in turning performance.
“One of the objectives was to make sure that we have a faster car in the corners. It’s not just to go fast in the corners, but also when it comes to tyre management and so on.” Vettel said.
“As Mattia said, maybe we would like to be in a stronger position now, but also it’s fair to say that the season is very long, and it’s very fair to say that we didn’t even start. I think we have plenty of work to do. The car is a step forward as I said.” Vettel added.
