Scuderia Ferrari is focused on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend and is the penultimate round of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, a track unknown for everybody. The pitfalls of this particular venue are different. The technicians of the Prancing Horse, just like those of the other teams, will find themselves running on a completely new circuit that did not even exist two weeks ago. A circuit with a very fast layout that includes only a couple of slow corners in its path: the first and the last.
For the engineers of Maranello one of the most demanding tests will concern the proximity of the walls, where the right confidence will have to arrive little by little to make a difference. An important factor is the new asphalt and the consequent lack of grip which, in all likelihood, will play a predominant role in the weekend. In addition to this, we must add the great stress to which the 065/6 engine will be subjected, especially in the endothermic part.
Considering the new track, what was the Ferrari team’s approach to a weekend so full of unknowns? It was certainly not easy at all. Through the very scarce information available, an attempt was made to insert various inputs into the work tools. By doing this, a base is created on which to then go to work on the simulator, where the drivers tested the layout and behavior of the SF21.
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During FP1 the attitude to be put into practice will undoubtedly have a different strategy. Objective number 1 will be to understand if the hypothesized context will be similar to the real one, and then act accordingly and adapt the car as quickly as possible. A fundamental element for “treating” compounds in the best possible way, often a crucial factor in the performance of the SF21 cars that will receive massive attention from the very first minutes on the track.
As we said earlier, the few certainties related to Jeddah will make everything more difficult for the teams. Ferrari therefore plans to immediately analyze the behavior of the tyres, an element on which to build an optimal set-up. Understanding how the tires will behave will undoubtedly be extremely complex. We agree. But on the other hand, asphalt represents the interaction between rubber and the ground both from a chemical and a mechanical point of view and its composition has direct effects on the way the compounds work.
Finding the right level of grip, therefore, bearing in mind that the front axle of the SF21 is usually the most difficult to manage, will allow Ferrari to produce the necessary grip which consequently will give the SF21 the possibility to slide at its best along the corners at high travel speeds by accelerating and braking efficiently.
Friday’s work promises to be very intense, but the preparation of the historic Italian team seems to be at the top. It remains to be understood, we will probably see it only in qualifying, as the men in red will react in the face of a challenge as stimulating as it is complicated in order to achieve the goal and therefore to produce a performance at a height level, in the first place, for the entire work group. The same group which next season has to fight for the F1 world championship.
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