At the end of the first pre-season testing session in Barcelona, Scuderia Ferrari returned to Maranello satisfied and with a “cautious optimism”. The F1-75 is the only the car to have completed more than 2,000 kilometers, which is about 200 more than Mercedes, with Carlos Sainz being the driver who completed the most number of laps during the three days of testing in Spain.
No problems in the lower part of the power unit, the macro area that has created a some problems on the bench in recent months. Of course, in the Spanish tests the engine was not at all pushed to its limits, it will be more so in Bahrain next weekend.
From what has been learned by F1 Journalist and Analyst Giuliano Duchessa, however, there have already been discussions with the FIA in order to solve the problem of reliability of that macro part of the PU, if so, with the introduction of the second unit. It would be useful to increase the mileage at maximum power.
The Ferrari F1-75 responded well to the changes in the set-up, useful for ‘mapping’ the entire operating range. It is clear, as confirmed by formu1a.uno, that the new concept of cars is even more unbalanced at the rear, a macro zone that did not show any major critical issues in the three days of testing, coupled with a chronic understeer that teams and drivers will have to struggle with. In Bahrain it will be further accentuated, which is why the Sahkir track is considered by the teams to be much more demanding and truthful than the Circuit de Catalunya.
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Being able to quickly resolve the ‘porpoising’ issues also in Bahrain, like the Maranello team did at Montmelo, could allow Ferrari, and all the teams in general, to focus more on finding better performances.
While Mercedes will look to improve its performances by bringing a very revised car to the track, especially in the central part, with “interesting and aggressive concepts that are a little worrying the competition”, Red Bull will come to Bahrain with an important package, albeit less evident, which will be useful for the weight loss of the RB18 car.
While Ferrari? The Maranello team wants to get to the very first races with a car it understands perfectly. In Maranello they believe that, at least initially, it is easier to obtain performance from greater knowledge and optimization of the current version of the car rather than through an important package of updates.
In fact, the first major upgrade on the Ferrari F1-75 is, to date, planned between the Australian Grand Prix, the third event in the 2022 Formula 1 season, and Imola. This is the plan for now, given that the introduction of the developments will also depend on how the car behaves between the next testing session and the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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