The introduction of the sprint race and the new Pirelli compounds will ensure that the most reactive teams will have an upper hand on the competition in the 2021 British Grand Prix, a weekend in which having made the right considerations on the simulator before arriving at the track will certainly make a difference.
Putting the tyres on the asphalt with a good basic set-up will allow teams to find the rhythm immediately and have a clear advantage over their opponents. Probably with this format, qualifying will lose some of its meaning, as there will be a way to improve the result from Friday evening through the mini-race on Saturday and it is for this reason that some teams could opt for a set-up that would further promote the pace of the car with a load of fuel on board, rather than the contrary.
Although the commitment of the power unit is to be considered quite important, it is impossible not to remember how last year Ferrari came out of the double British round with a good total of points in its pocket: even if Sebastian Vettel’s best result was a tenth place, Charles Leclerc managed two good performances by finishing the British GP in third position and the 70th Anniversary GP in fourth. The result of the first race was certainly influenced by the puncture that Valtteri Bottas suffered a few laps from the end, but it can be said that without that inconvenience, two good fourth places would have been scored on merit by the Monegasque driver.
Last year, the Maranello team had focused on a lower downforce configuration set-up to make up for the performance deficiencies on the engine side (which often sent Sebastian Vettel into trouble). Decisions that could also be taken to tackle the 2021 event as well. However, as mentioned, the Italian side will have to try to take better care of the race pace and above all tire management. Despite the good Austrian performance, the work during first free practice session for the Maranello team should return to revolve precisely around this aspect: the goal must be to avoid a repetition of a situation like the one we saw in France.
However, the words reported by Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto at the end of Spielberg’s double appointment did not reveal anything good about it. The Silverstone track is famous for being demanding with the front tyres and we know that this is certainly not a strong point of the SF21 at the moment.
Extra motivation: the Maranello team is preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its first success in Formula 1. An important event in the history of the Scuderia that will give drivers and technicians a further boost for the Silverstone weekend.
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