It was feared that the budget cap limitation on costs would stop the teams in the fight to bring updates, which we have seen every year, but for the moment that is not what we are seeing on the track. Teams are trying to extract the maximum potential from the cars, and as Haas has shown in Austria, even a refined work of understanding the car can translate into a performance improvement. Nevertheless, we will also see several updates at Paul Ricard.
Scuderia Ferrari will introduce updates between these last two rounds that will aim to improve the efficiency of the F1-75. Red Bull has not yet finished its continuous and progressive development program and more updates are expected in France for Adrian Newey’s team. Developments are also expected for Mercedes, even in the very important macro area of the floor, as during these last two appointments before the break, Mercedes wants to have definitive answers from the W13 project, trying to remove any remaining doubts so as to arrive at final conclusions also from in view of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
A second ‘novelty’ at Mercedes will be Nick De Vries, who will take part in the first free practice session for the French Grand Prix, replacing Lewis Hamilton, given the fact that starting with this season the FIA has introduced a rule to give rookies the chance to carry out two free practice sessions during the season. Something that Ferrari will do later in the season in the Netherlands if current plans are confirmed.
Behind them, Alpine has no intention of stopping, unlike McLaren which from now until the end of the season will introduce only small innovations and not constantly, thus aiming to take fourth place in the Constructors’ World Championship. The French team, with Esteban Ocon also at the wheel of one of the two cars, is keen to do well in their home race – which should suit the characteristics of the A522. Focus will also be on the AlphaTauri that will introduce its own full-bodied development package – hoping to improve the weaknesses of this project – while those who will attempt to be in the middle group with more consistency are Williams, who will finally also equip Nicholas Latifi with the “Spec-B “of their car.
One should not exclude possible surprises in the French Grand Prix. The performances are very close and a tenth can make the difference. Haas hopes to confirm itself on a track that is not exactly suited to its characteristics, but if Austria’s progress is confirmed on a different type of circuit, it would certainly be a good sign awaiting the updates planned for Hungary. Up to now, Alfa Romeo has been a constant and predictable single-seater, its greatest issues have been with the softer tires, C5, which will not be present here and did not shine in the fast corners, which instead are characteristic for the Paul Ricard track.
In FP1 on Friday morning we will see Robert Kubica return to the wheel of the C42. An excellent circuit to test himself, as well as for Aston Martin which with the updates from Barcelona has improved in the slow areas and has reduced porpoising and drag, while at Silverstone it has aimed to improve the car in the fast corners and therefore will have a lot of feedback here, valid for examining the work done so far on the track.
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Curious note about Aston Martin: at Paul Ricard, the Stroll’s team will celebrate its centenary with a display of a historic car, entrusting Sebastian Vettel with the honor of bringing the original Aston Martin car that raced in the 1922 season to the track.
To all this we must add that in France the teams will be able to start using the new ‘metric’ used by the FIA to check the fluctuations on the car, which is part of the DT39 / 22. From Belgium, controls will be tightened up and the teams – many, not just Ferrari – will be forced to modify the floor in order to comply the new FIA control requests for this season, while in view of 2023 there are other changes that will be made.
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