The 2021 Formula 1 world championship resumes after the summer break in Belgium, as Spa-Francorchamps will host the twelfth race of the season and this time it’s the first part of a triple-header. After the Belgian weekend, the Dutch Grand Prix takes place in just seven days and the Italian Grand Prix is scheduled the following weekend at the Monza circuit. Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most famous race tracks in the entire world, has already hosted 53 of the 65 editions of the Belgian Grand Prix, ten having been held at Zolder and two at Nivelles-Baulers on the outskirts of Brussels.
Scuderia Ferrari is very much focused on the development work for the 2022 project, when the Maranello team is expected to challenge for more ambitious targets, but in this second part of the 2021 Formula 1 season, Ferrari will also try to win the fight with McLaren for third place in the overall standings. Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Italian side and McLaren are tied on 163 points and the challenge for third place behind the Mercedes-Red bull duo is more alive than ever. Spa-Francorchamps will certainly offer interesting data regarding the potential of each team. The first sector, after turn 1, is made up of a large straight line that also includes the legendary Eau Rouge, a corner that you can take in full. While in the third sector you spend most of the time with the gas wide open. The central part, however, is very winding and is decisive for determining the ideal lap time.
Ferrari should be able to take a good advantage in this area of the track but at the same time it is likely to suffer in the other two Spa-Francorchamps sectors. Unloading the rear wing could minimize the horsepower gap but at the same time decrease the advantage in the second sector. McLaren, in turn, will seek to maximize the advantage derived from the Mercedes engine, favored by the aerodynamic efficiency demonstrated by the MCL35M during the first part of the season. While in the central area of the circuit he will try to limit the damage.
As for the tire issue, attention will be focused on the several corners that form part of the splendid Belgian track. Without forgetting the other degree of abrasion of the asphalt. Administering the compounds, therefore, will be crucial to avoid the harmful rise in temperatures and favor the thermal degradation of the tire. Belgium will be an important test for the Italian team, hoping to further improve the problems related to degradation.
The approach used in setting up the car during the 2021 season works and the desire to test the knowledge acquired to maximize the weekend is great. The technical challenge of the Maranello men to find the perfect balance at Spa-Francorchamps is great. In this regard, the configuration of the hybrid part will be decisive, to “spread” the power derived from the MGU-H and MGU-K systems on the long lines of the Belgian track.
Ensuring a low clipping level, bearing in mind the deficit that the Italian engine pays compared to its top competitors, as we wait of the power unit upgrade next month, will help to mask the shortage of the internal combustion engine (ICE). Consequently, the hybrid system will be calibrated and then the most efficient model to be used throughout the weekend will be chosen, capable of increasing the total performance on the lap of the car and making a difference on the final lap time.
Source: funoanalisitecnica.com
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