Ferrari works overnight as Antonio Giovinazzi leads simulator push ahead of Austrian GP qualifying. Ferrari leaves no stone unturned as simulator work continues deep into the night.

Ferrari chasing the missing tenths: Antonio Giovinazzi worked in the simulator until late at night

Ferrari heads into qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix still searching for answers after a challenging opening day at the Red Bull Ring. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished Friday well behind Mercedes on one of the shortest circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, with the Scuderia appearing to trail not only the Silver Arrows but also McLaren and Red Bull.

Although the lap times painted a worrying picture, a closer look at the available telemetry suggests the situation may not be quite as straightforward. A significant portion of Ferrari’s deficit appears to have been influenced by the team’s decision to run a very conservative engine mapping throughout Friday’s two practice sessions, combined with carrying additional fuel during its qualifying simulation programme.

The bigger concern, however, emerged during the long-run simulations. Compared with its main rivals, Ferrari appeared to struggle more with tyre management, as lap times increased more noticeably despite using a fresher tyre set—particularly when comparing the SF-26’s pace with Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.

Despite maintaining a calm and confident attitude in public, there was reportedly a degree of frustration inside the Ferrari garage. Interestingly, the engineers were less concerned about outright tyre degradation than by the fact that the SF-26 failed to perform as expected in the hot track conditions that had suited the car much better just two weeks earlier in Barcelona.

Simulator work becomes crucial

One factor complicating Ferrari’s search for performance is that neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc reported any major balance issues during Friday’s running. Without a clear handling problem to address, identifying the correct setup changes becomes considerably more difficult.

For that reason, Ferrari intensified its overnight preparations in Maranello. Antonio Giovinazzi spent several hours in the team’s simulator, working late into the night alongside Ferrari’s engineers as they evaluated different setup solutions and searched for the missing performance.

The extensive simulator programme is expected to provide valuable guidance for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ahead of qualifying. Whether Ferrari has managed to find the extra tenths needed to close the gap to Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull will become much clearer once the fight for pole position begins at the Red Bull Ring.