Scuderia Ferrari will have every reason for optimism ahead of the next round of the 2021 Formula One season, which takes place in Turkey, having picked up a strong result in the wet conditions at the Istanbul Park one year ago.
Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel crossed the line P3 last year, scoring his final podium finish in the Maranello team’s red colours, while Charles Leclerc missed out on the podium after a late mistake, yet he still claimed a strong result with P4.
In the previous round of the season, the Russian Grand Prix, it was the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc who used the improved engine, believed to be offering a boost of around 10-15 bhp, while now Carlos Sainz will also be able to use the new power unit.
A fairly new track and out of the pen of Hermann Tilke, Istanbul Park was an integral part of the F1 calendar from 2005 to 2011. Last year the organizers were able to take advantage of the chaos created by covid to once agaib host the top series of motorsport and this year the Turkish GP was once again confirmed: after a series of announcements, postponements and confirmations, they managed to keep their commitment.
The Intercity Istanbul Park was built on hilly terrain, it is an anti-clockwise direction and features, in addition to winding and technical areas, also some very fast sections. The layout is made up of 14 corners (6 to the right and 8 to the left) that give life to a 5,338 km long track. 58 laps will be needed to complete the 16th round of the season.
In the first part of the track the balance of the car will play a key role. But the real highlight of the Turkish layout will be in the second sector where we find Corner 8: a downhill hairpin made up of 4 corners points to be covered in full acceleration in 7th gear. The travel speed is approximately 270 km / h with the lateral forces reaching even 5 g.
From here the fastest section of the track begins. The power of the engine, combined with the aerodynamic efficiency, will be responsible for making the difference. Interesting is also the double chicane that closes around to be covered in third gear, the slowest part of the track, before cars are launched again on the main straight.
2021 Turkish GP preview: aerodynamics and DRS
A few exceptions aside, the team technicians will focus on a medium-high load set-up to extract the best performance from their package on the Intercity Istanbul Park. The rapid sequence made up of the various changes of direction stresses the lateral load a lot, finding the maximum expression of downforce in corner 8.
For this reason, enjoying the correct balance between the car’s axles will also allow for better tire management. Furthermore, enjoying a very precise front end in the mix of slower corners of the track will be decisive for obtaining more competitive lap times.
The DRS will be an element that will favor overtaking especially in the long straight section connecting Corner 10 to Corner 12. The extra speed offered by the use of the mobile wing in this part of the circuit stands at important values, with a delta of about 15-16 km / h. Minor, but still important, the one on the straight line to the finish line: 12 km / h.
2021 Turkish GP preview: Power unit and transmission
The Turkish circuit, which left the calendar in 2011 and returned to host F1 in 2020, does not offer much data in relation to the hybrid part. However, thanks to the simulations, we can define the Istanbul layout as being on average important in terms of the use of the electrical part. The recovery of kinetic energy and enthalpy of excess exhaust gases, obtained through MGU-H, will undoubtedly be the strong point of modern power units. Less important, given the presence of only one real demanding braking section (turn 12), is the use of the MGU-K under braking.
The endothermic will certainly be put to the test with the throttle remaining fully open for about 70% of the lap time. Although the changes per lap are not excessive (47 per lap for a total of approximately 2,700), the transmission could be particularly stressed in corner-8.
The lateral acceleration of over 5 G produced and maintained by the single-seaters for the entire width of the corner will push the fuel away from the rotating parts, making normal operation of the pumping system difficult. In these moments, the mechanical parts that make up the endothermic could suffer from lubrication deficiencies.
2021 Turkish GP preview: preview: braking system
According to Brembo technicians, the Intercity Istanbul Park is a moderately demanding circuit for the brakes. On a scale of values ranging from one to five, it obtained a difficulty index of 3. The circuit is very technical and has numerous gradients. This entails the risk of stressing the system more than necessary when going downhill and witnessing delayed braking when going uphill.
F1 drivers use the brakes nine times per lap for a total of 14.6 seconds – 17% of the race length, the same percentage as Sochi and Zandvoort. Due to the lack of long straights, we will see very little braking in the first part of the track. From the main straight to turn 6, none of them exceed 1.9 seconds.
The second sector, on the other hand, has three braking sections of at least 4g that test the resistance of the drivers and the system itself. However, only in one case the speed reduction exceeds 160 km / h and in a couple of cases the braking distance is at least 100 meters.
Of the nine braking sections of the Turkish GP, only one is considered very demanding on the brakes, three are of medium difficulty and five are light. The hardest for the braking system is the one made at turn 12. The cars brake after hitting 313 km / h and reduce the speed to 92 km / h in the space of just 125 meters. The brake pedal will be depressed for 2.82 seconds causing a 4.5g deceleration.
source: funoanalisitecnica.com
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