Ferrari Head of Track Engineering admits ‘SF1000 does not shine on high efficiency tracks’. Togninalli previews the next round.

Q&A with Matteo Togninalli Head of Track Engineering

“Pretty much a new challenge but with a few known parameters,” is how Matteo Togninalli, Head of Track Engineering for the Scuderia, sums up the Sakhir Grand Prix. “It’s true we’re racing at the same venue and on the same track surface, but it has different characteristics, as it misses out the slow section and the high-speed corners. The tyres will therefore have more time to recover in between corners. This affects the set-up and level of aero downforce, as well as tyre behaviour, given that they have to deal with 20 to 30% lower energy levels, particularly at the rear. So, some problems such as the overheating we saw last weekend should be less of an issue. In terms of efficiency, it is definitely higher than last weekend’s layout so I expect the cars to carry less downforce.”

Will the new elements and the overall track characteristics be an opportunity or a handicap for the Scuderia?

“I’d say an opportunity because it’s a fact that last Saturday and Sunday we suffered a lot with managing the energy exerted on the tyres, so we could be in a better situation in this respect. On the other hand, it’s clear that the SF1000 does not shine on high efficiency tracks and engine performance is more important here and these two factors will be key. The most important thing is to get the most out of our package, which we were not able to do last weekend.”

How much can we learn from the previous race, particularly in terms of tyre management?

“There are some areas we want to investigate to find ways of improving performance, in terms of the approach to the lap and in set-up, but we are still tackling a different event. For example, we will run qualifying differently, because it won’t be an easy task finding the right moment to go out, because of traffic and also, relating to what I said earlier, it will not be easy to get the tyre temperatures into the right window. There’s a lot to do, but we engineers like that. Other parameters that will need watching are fuel consumption and brake performance. The former will be pretty similar to last week, because on a high efficiency track you tend to run less aero downforce, but for the brakes, it could even more critical, especially in the race, when the heaviest braking points, like the first and last corner, will be tackled around thirty times more often than last Sunday.”