Ferrari’s improvements on the power unit side were clear from the start of the 2021 Formula 1 season, despite the fact that the Italian side still remains behind Mercedes and Honda in terms of horsepower. The SF21 also proved to have a very good chassis in terms of mechanical grip (grip due to suspension geometry, weight distribution and balance), with a great pace on the streets of Monte Carlos which unfortunately was not capitalized in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The major factor which made a difference in Ferrari’s fluctuating performances this season was represented by the Pirelli tyres. This was obvious especially in four races from the first half of the 2021 championship: Silverstone, Baku, Paul Ricard and Hungaroring. Despite the fact that the the names of the tyres remain the same, the compounds brought to each Grand Prix were different. From the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to the British Grand Prix, the Italian manufacturier chose gradually harder, while on the streets of Baku the Soft corresponded to the softer compound in the Pirelli range. In the last event before the summer break, the Soft was the C3 tyre, which in Baku was the Hard.
As we have noticed this season, for Ferrari a harder tyre si most suitable and it is easy to understand why: the harder compounds have a higher average operating window. The Ferrari SF21 car is capable of generating a lot of energy on the tires, which normally is great, but at times did not help the Maranello team.
The great lap managed by Charles Leclerc in Baku which to take pole position was largely a result of the SF21’s excellent ability to get the Pirelli tires working correctly. However, in the long run, this strength eventually became a weakness during the race, as Charles was not able to challenge for the top spots.
Ahead of the British Grand Prix the expectations were not very high for Scuderia Ferrari: the Italian side itself predicted that the Silverstone event would have been one of the most difficult of the entire championship, because of the abrasive asphalt. However, after the qualifying and race simulations on Friday, Ferrari was aware that something had changed.
The Maranello team focused a lot on high fuel simulations to try to fully understand the compounds, identified as a key factor in raising the performance at Silverstone. Gathering data made it possible to find a right aero-mechanical balance which allowed the two SF21 cars to express themselves at their best. In the race we witnessed the duel between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Both started with the Medium tire, the two then changed to the Hard to get to the finish line. In the first stint of the race, the Monegasque driver was able to impose the pace, being two tenths faster than the British driver. In the last stint, however, the situation was reversed: the seven-time world champion lapped with an average pace of 30.6, seven tenths faster than Charles.
Therefore we can say that the harder tire decided the outcome of the race. This compound is close to the 2018 Hard compound. A very hard tire that historically has adapted well to Mercedes. On the degradation front though, the SF21 proved to be able to handle compounds better than Hamilton’s Mercedes. Although we are talking about random data that must be taken with a grain of salt, it can give us a good indication of how each car has managed tyre degradation.
In the first stint Charles Leclerc suffered a degradation of 0.05 seconds per lap, slightly lower than that of Lewis which produced a performance loss of 0.07 seconds per lap. Contrary to what happened with the race pace, Charles’ advantage was maintained in the second stint, with a decrease of about 0.02 seconds per lap less.
Consequently, we must state that degradation was not the main problem during the second stint for the Ferrari driver. On the contrary, the Italian car performed very well in this respect. A very “well planted” front on the asphalt made it possible to contain the degradation. What was missing, in short, was the pure pace. It must be said that the comparison is made with an extremely solid and fast Mercedes. The W12 showed a great feature by managing to adapt to extreme conditions.
While the SF21 car in some cases tends to put a lot of energy on the tires, the W12 often puts little. This element is fundamental to understand the compound management of the German team. Let’s think about Baku. Like many other teams, even Mercedes was unable in any way to activate the compounds. Especially the front ones. Just the opposite of Ferrari. At Silverstone, on the other hand, they were helped by the presence of many supporting corners.
Many thought that the Hungaroring should bode well with the characteristics of the SF21. There are many slow corners where a rear end capable of generating the right mechanical traction is required, a characteristic present in the Italian 2021 car. The question had shifted to the compounds. Pirelli brought the C2, C3 and C4 to the track. The three compounds are the same as in France. Why should they have turned out to be a problem? Simply because the compounds in question are very soft and have a rather low operating window.
The front of the SF21 was put to the test a lot and in the past it had caused quite a few problems, largely limiting the car’s potential. From this point of view, the race in Hungary provided us with all the answers. The Hungarian Friday did not give excellent results as far as the Ferrari drivers were concerned. The Italian engineers could not fully understand how to make the compounds work best.
Where did these complications come from? Mainly from the temperature of the asphalt which well exceeded 50 ° C. As mentioned, the SF21 has a great ability to be able to put energy on the tires, a factor that translates into heat. However, with such high temperatures and compounds with a lower window, the Italian car tended to overheat the tires more than necessary. In this way they could not hit the right temperature range.
In the race, in Hungary, only one of the two red cars crossed the finish line. Same situation at Mercedes, where only Hamilton reached the checkered flag. The first stint was not very significant in technical terms, with the wet and slippery track that makes it practically impossible to find meaningful conclusions.
Source: funoanalisitecnica.com
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