Carlos Sainz reveals how recent upgrades are causing more problems than solutions for Ferrari.
- Ferrari’s Barcelona upgrade has reintroduced porpoising issues.
- Sainz believes the porpoising is affecting lap times more than anticipated.
- The team is determined to unlock the full potential of their car package.
- Rain could interfere with testing at the British Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s recent upgrade from the Barcelona race has brought back porpoising, an unwelcome phenomenon that puts them behind rivals Red Bull, McLaren, and now even Mercedes. Carlos Sainz expressed his concerns about the impact on lap times, admitting it might be worse than Ferrari initially thought.
Sainz shared, “Bouncing 100 percent costs you time, what I think is that it costs you even more time than you think.” He elaborated that not only does the bouncing affect high-speed corners but it potentially impacts other areas of the track as well. He emphasized, “For sure it costs lap time, maybe even more than what we think.”
Despite the setbacks, Sainz is optimistic about the Ferrari package. He believes in its potential and stresses the importance of understanding the impact of the Barcelona upgrade to inform future developments. “For sure this new package still has potential to be optimized,” he asserted, noting that in the short term, the team needs to confirm whether they have taken a step in the right direction or not.
Ferrari’s priority is to comprehend the new package thoroughly. Sainz remarked, “We accept and realize that after Barcelona, we have been less competitive…we certainly need to try to understand as much as possible everything that is involved.” However, he added that other teams are also rapidly improving, making it essential for Ferrari to keep pace.
The testing plan at the British Grand Prix is crucial for Ferrari but could be hindered by rain. Charles Leclerc mentioned the absence of new parts for the race, attributing it to the desire to test the existing package thoroughly. He acknowledged, “At the moment, it looks like it’s probably going to rain,” which might postpone their tests to the next race.
Leclerc added that while the numbers from the upgrades are promising, the team is still figuring out the best setup to maximize their potential. He stated, “For now we haven’t quite managed to do that so we are still working on that.” Even though Ferrari holds second place in the Constructors’ Championship, their gap over McLaren has shrunk to just 23 points.
Ferrari faces challenges with their recent upgrades, but there’s hope they can unlock the potential in their package and catch up with competitors.
Source: Planetf1
