Scuderia Ferrari seems to be the team that made the biggest leap in quality compared to last year: the F1-75, with the same rubber compound (C3), came within a tenth of the Red Bull RB18 of the genius Adrian Newey.
This is the only parameter that can allow a minimum comparison with the Milton Keynes car, because the top teams have not looked for performance, but preferred to run as much as possible to gather data and look for the right correlation between the track, the wind tunnel and simulator.
It is correct to add that the two Mercedes W13 cars at the end of the three days of testing in Barcelona got their fastest lap times with the C5 tire, which is the softest in the Pirelli range, but ran with about 70 kg of fuel on board. As if to demonstrate, after the various troubles suffered, especially with the bouncing, that they were unable to extract a time that could go bellow 11’18 “.
The pre-season test, as Formula 1 defined it, did not give precise indications on the performance of the cars (it is really too early), but it did increase the prospects of the Scuderia: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz jr. covered 2,052 km promoting the power unit 066/7 and giving positive feedback to the lay-out of the red car designed by Enrico Cardile.
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Team boss Mattia Binotto during the presentation of the F1-75 had explained that the “curvy” shapes had been deliberated after a careful comparison with the single-seater with sloping design and the aerodynamic advantages seen in the wind tunnel justified the side marked by the deep opening in the upper part.
The design of the wide side is not a technical choice dictated by the mechanics (position of the radiators or other), but by a precise design choice.
The possible conversion of the F1-75 to a Mercedes-style car would not be impossible at all, because this option must also have been thought of in the modularity that distinguishes the car, although the data collected so far have given more than positive indications to the “curvy version.”
To express more precise judgments on performance, we will have to wait for the Bahrain tests, but it is indisputable that Ferrari has begun to attract attention again, after two years of true anonymity.
While Mercedes and Red Bull have gradually opened the bodies to simulate the cooling of the hottest GPs, the Scuderia has done the opposite job by closing the gills of the left sidepod (with the exception of the first three), being able to improve aerodynamic efficiency.
The drivers expressed positive opinions and appreciated the team’s commitment to identifying and reducing the bouncing on the straight due to porpoising, showing the car’s good responsiveness to changes. On the last day of testing, the Maranello team came up with a new floor which was the first concrete answer to the problem.
The team that first finds the solution will have a competitive advantage in the first GPs, being able to race with a lower ground clearance and benefiting from greater downforce. In Maranello they don’t want to make any proclamations, but certain smiles were worth much more than many words.
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