[Press review] – The SF21 has positively surprised in the latest races, leaving behind the debacle of the French Grand Prix. Now the hope is to continue on this path also in Budapest, before the summer break. Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport analyzed the aerodynamic and technical components that could help Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to fight for the top.
Mission Hungary
“This week Ferrari could repeat the feat achieved in May in the Principality, when Carlos Sainz finished second behind Max Verstappen. The characteristics of the Hungarian track in fact require a maximum downforce configuration and high mechanical traction. So we return to a track favorable for the Maranello car. […].
The SF21, direct heir of the scarcely competitive SF1000, is considered a “track sensitive” car (sensitive to different types of tracks), but the performance seen in England has partially undermined this belief. Its competitiveness in Monaco and Baku did not surprise […]. Austria, then, had brought everyone back to reality, showing a Ferrari clearly having difficulty in hitting the ideal tire temperatures. But at Silverstone the Maranello team’s car surprised […]. Part of the credit goes to the adoption of the floor […] that was tested for the first time by Charles Leclerc in the Styrian GP […].
The new version, characterized by the addition of three deflectors along the side edge downstream of the inverted “L” cut, has made the lower aerodynamics of the SF21 more efficient, improving the seal between the car floor and the asphalt. This resulted in a slight increase in load and improved aerodynamic balance. The combination of the two factors allowed for better use of the tires, which were subjected to violent lateral acceleration at Silverstone.
Tires were the most decisive performance element in England and could still be so in Hungary. […] The most rigid construction and the minimum pressure increase decided by Pirelli, has made it possible to drastically reduce degradation. In Budapest, the new construction could be of considerable importance due to the high ambient temperatures […].”
Paolo Filisetti, Gazzetta dello Sport
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