DRAWING BOARD
FERRARI GETS IN A FIRST-LAP FLAP
How do you solve a problem like Ferrari? The team was aiming to use the Styrian Grand Prix weekend to test the first swathe of upgrades before its much-vaunted Hungarian GP package in a bid to turn around its ill form, and brought a new front wing and floor for the second Red Bull Ring race. Unfortunately, the collision involving Charles Leclerc and
Sebastian Vettel at Turn 3 rather ended the opportunity to assess the changes.
Ferrari rolled back on the square footplate tunnel it pioneered last year, and reverted to a rounder geometry.
This flattens out as the air progresses further back, releasing the rotating airflow produced by the tunnel sooner. By flattening out the rear section further on the new wing, this allows a much more pronounced fin to be placed on top of the footplate. The lip at the trailing edge remains the same to trip the airflow upwards and outwards.
There also appear to be detailed changes to the inclination of the front-wing elements as Ferrari seeks to overhaul the nervousness of the SF1000 in the slower corners. Compared to the old design, the new arrangement has wing elements with a more gradual transition to the endplate, with a reduced amount of twist. Of course, the new wing doesn’t do much once it’s lodged in the back of your team-mate’s car, which Leclerc discovered following his first-lap contact with Vettel. The Monegasque also destroyed the new floor, which changes the inclination of the slots (which are now diagonal) ahead of the front tyre in a bid to improve the outward release of airflow to keep turbulent air out of the floor.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Having tried the updates on Friday, prior to Saturday’s wash-out, Vettel was slightly buoyed by the additions to the car.
“Step by step [on Friday], we were putting stuff on and it seems to be positive,” said the four-time world champion. “I think we still need to have a look and now find the best window where the car is happiest. It felt a lot better already today. All day, it was straight away a different car, and then I was just able to get at it. It’s not really possible to compare the two because there was such a big difference, and obviously now I hope it stays like this.”