In recent weeks there have been many rumours regarding a possible return of Simone Resta to Ferrari in the summer, but the current technical director of the Alfa Romeo would not be involved in the development of the SF90 car. According to Motorsport Italy, he could be reinstated in Maranello with a different role than he had as chief designer. And it also seems that he will not appointed technical director, a role that remains in the hands of Mattia Binotto, in defense of the work of Enrico Cardile and David Sanchez.
Simone Resta may begin preparations and work for the 2021 Formula One single-seater, a season in which the rules will completely change, although the specific details have not yet been finalized by the FIA.
Regarding Ferrari’s SF90 car, the test in Barcelona seems to have given some answers for the development of this season: the test driver Antonio Fuoco seems to have identified some differences between the real pace of the SF90 as conducted last Wednesday in Spain and the virtual one that normally drives the simulator, a sign that there is a correlation between the track data and the and the simulator. Yet in the very area of simulation there may have already been a change, as Giacomo Tortora, the engineer responsible for car development, appears to have left Ferrari. He is not to be considered a scapegoat, but there is no doubt that there is room for improvement regarding the correlation between the data which is brought from the CFD, the wind tunnel, the simulator and the real track performance.
In recent years we have often seen the red cars struggling during Friday free practice, only to improve on Saturday after a long night of data analysis and testing on the simulator. Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniil Kvyat, simulator driver of 2018, got the opportunity to race in Formula One for Alfa Romeo and Toro Rosso this season, while the new simulator drivers, Pascal Wehrlein and Brandon Hartley, now have the difficult task of identifying the ideal set-up for the SF90 on the simulator ahead of each race.
The SF90 is not considered a “wrong” car, but a car that makes it very difficult for the tires to work properly. On certain tracks it can expresses its full potential, as was the case in Bahrain, while on others it was not able to make the tyre work (Australia and Spain). For now, Ferrari’s SF90 car has not managed to win a race, but in Maranello there is still hope for further improvements.
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