Ferrari’s been shaking things up—literally! After their new car floor design caused some high-speed bouncing since its debut at the Spanish GP, the team is rolling out a modified version at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
This new floor design, first introduced in Spain, was supposed to boost the car’s downforce. And it did—but it also made the car bounce like a pogo stick at high speeds, leaving drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggling for control and trailing behind their rivals.
The bouncing issue became apparent during the British GP, prompting Ferrari to switch back to their old floor design from the Emilia Romagna GP. After some intense tests and factory analysis, Team Principal Fred Vasseur announced that Ferrari would persevere with the new floor—albeit with some tweaks to fix the bouncing problem. “The week’s break prior to Hungary has allowed us to take an in-depth look at all the data from the past three races,” said Vasseur. He added, “We found that our latest upgrade package did indeed bring the expected benefits in terms of aero points. However, it also had side effects that meant the car was actually more difficult to drive.”
Ferrari’s main concern is to give Leclerc and Sainz a car they can confidently push to the limit, especially in qualifying rounds. Vasseur believes that with the new tweaks, they’ve got a good shot at leading the pack. “I am confident the package we bring to the Hungaroring will allow us to be frontrunners,” said Vasseur.
Meanwhile, Sainz expressed worries at Silverstone about sticking with the older floor. “We have basically the same car as in Imola and since Imola everyone has upgraded, probably added two tenths to the car and we have had to revert,” he said. The fear was that they’d fall months behind if they stuck with the old setup.
As Ferrari gets ready for the Hungarian GP, the stakes are high. Will the modified floor be their ticket to the podium, or will it be back to the drawing board? Fans and critics alike will be watching closely.
Source: Motorsport
