Scuderia Ferrari is ready for the seventh round of the 2021 Formula 1 season. The Maranello team took third place in the constructors’ championship after the Baku Grand Prix and now in France they will find themselves in a position to defend it for the first time. As is often said, the best defense is attack and the Italian side’s mentality is certainly more on the offensive. Once again in Le Castellet, as in Azerbaijan, the engine will require an important contribution on the long straighs of Mistral.
However, the Azerbaijani event nevertheless highlighted some positive aspects. Probably, as happened two weeks ago, Ferrari will still try to use a lower downforce aerodynamic configuration than its rivals, so as not to suffer too much in the central sector. Technique that undoubtedly paid off in qualifying, but which then saw Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz suffer in terms of tire management last weekend.
The Baku City circuit was however an anomalous track, consisting mainly of slow corners and straights. The Paul Ricard circuit, as we have seen instead, is a mixed track. The slow sections of the first and third sectors, given the peculiarities of the SF21 car in this type of corners, should not cause any particular concern, while the Maranello team could encounter some difficulties in the fast hairpin turns such as the Signes, the subsequent Beausset in 5th gear, as well as the exit of turns-6 and 7 to enter the Mistral straight. Points where rival McLaren, on the other hand, should be able to better exploit its strenghts. Finding the right aero-mechanical balance (even the suspensions will require special tuning to ensure a good level of traction in the slow sections) will, once again, be the biggest challenge of the weekend for the Ferrari technicians.
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