Project 2022 is already in the minds of the Maranello engineers, but the development of the SF21 will continue at least until the beginning of the summer. Ferrari already has a clear the plan which will be carried out as the Italian side attempts to bounce back after the bitter disappointment of 2020, at least trying to bring Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the fight for third place among manufacturers already this year. The challenge does not appear simple, looking above all at the progress of McLaren and AlphaTauri, but Ferrari will try to squeeze as many resources as possible until the month of June.
On a flying lap, the 2021 Ferrari car seems able to challenge the competition, as Charles Leclerc himself demonstrated in Bahrain by starting from the second row: the SF21 is the car that lost less time in qualifying than its previous model (0.521 ″), considering the reduction of the aerodynamic load foreseen by regulation in 2021. A great step forward is undoubtedly thanks to the new power unit, but we must not neglect the good job done in spending the two tokens allowed for aerodynamics in the rear part.
Instead, Ferrari will have to think a lot about the race pace , which still appeared as the Achilles heel of the Maranello team: will it be enough to improve in tire management to put Ricciardo and Norris’ papaya behind us or will we also need more?
First news already in Imola
For the second stage of the season in Emilia-Romagna, Ferrari should be able to count on several small extra updates compared to Sakhir. As for the engine, Shell – the Cavallino’s historic technical partner – would have approved a new engine oil to increase the performance efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
On the aerodynamic front, however, the rumors circulated in these hours speak of a meticulous work on some changes to the wings and the lower part of the mantle, especially in the area of the nose, to better direct the flow of air under the car. New pieces will undoubtedly be tested in the first two free practice sessions in Imola, even if some details could find effective space only starting from the third round in Portugal.
Diffuser key element
Almost all the teams – Ferrari included – are planning an important step forward on the diffuser, which should represent the final step for Maranello before abandoning the 2021 development and concentrating entirely on the difficult challenge of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
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