Formula 1 returns to Austria almost exactly one year later to take part in another double round after the experience of the 2020 season. For Ferrari this is a great opportunity for redemption. Even if we will have different tire nominations from one Grand Prix to another, racing two consecutive weekends on the same track is the right opportunity to try to better understand the behavior of your car and try to fix, or at least partially correct, the harmful aspects affecting performance. Obviously, especially after the bad performance seen at Paul Ricard, even if it is not something that can be resolved immediately, special attention will be paid to tire management. This is clear.
But let’s go and definitively archive what happened in France, through the explanations of Enrico Gualtieri, who through the social channels of the Scuderia Ferrari tried to introduce us to the double appointment at Spielberg: “It is truly a unique track. Really very short. It offers a mix of low-speed corners, the first three, followed by others at medium-high mileage. The track engineers will certainly have their good job to do in order to find the right compromise between stability when entering slow corners and the necessary balance to tackle the final part of the circuit.” – he said.
“The other interesting aspect will be provided by the compounds.” – continued the Ferrari Head of the Power Unit Area – “We will have a different nomination between the first and second Austrian round. It will certainly be an aspect that will require some attention. Finally, in terms of performance required by the power unit, I can say that we are within the seasonal average. And if we look at how spectacular races can be here, we can say that it is quite common to see some beautiful overtaking maneuvers: especially when arriving in Turn 3 and in the subsequent extension that leads to Turn 4.”
Taking care of all aspects concerning the powertrains area, the Italian technician could not help but provide us with some indications on how the engineers will manage the power unit on the very fast track of the Red Bull Ring. “As for the performance required by the power unit, I would say that the track does not present anything different than others on the calendar. We will try to rely on a better performance package by making good use of the ERS and taking care of driveability. The aspect on which we will focus the most is ERS management due to a clear difference between the long time spent at full capacity and the short periods dedicated to braking. This makes it difficult to properly recharge the batteries using the MGU-K. In this specific case, the engineers in charge of ERS management will begin to fine-tune the right charging strategy as early as Friday in order to optimize the performance of the whole package ” – Ferrari Head of the Power Unit Area Enrico Gualtieri added.
The last aspect on which Enrico Gualtieri has focused his attention is the altitude. Located about 700 meters above sea level, the Spielberg track will also offer challenges from this point of view: “Running at high altitudes allows us to try to capitalize on very special conditions. It is not only important to be able to find a certain stability in terms of operating temperatures, but for example, in racing conditions, finding oneself inside the wake of the car in front could be a critical element. Especially when you find yourself involved in overtaking maneuvers or in any case in battle with other cars. In addition, the altitude will require particular attention in the preparation of the charge air, so all aspects related to the turbo will also be important. We will try to optimize everything able to contribute to the performance of the ICE and the turbo compressor so as to be competitive in every section of the track during the weekend “.
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