A couple of days ago we examined the mileage gap after the first 4 rounds of the 2021 Formula One Championship. Although Mercedes remains the team to beat, the evident superiority of the Germans has definitely dropped compared to last season, thanks to the new rules relating to the downforce which actually hit cars with a low rake the most . On the contrary, Scuderia Ferrari’s performance did not suffer such a high reduction. The Italian team is among the teams that, compared to 2020, have lost the least performance.
Thanks to the data gathered from the telemetry we have made a further cross-comparison between Mercedes and Ferrari . The assessment is based on the qualifying of the Grand Prix of Spain , in 2020 vs 2021, with the exception of turn 10 which was modified this year. Before starting there are a couple of considerations that need to be made. The aforementioned regulatory change has decisively involved the floor of the single-seaters, modifying both cornering and straight performance.
This factor becomes evident in probative and complete circuits such as the Catalan one. For each appointment on the calendar, the teams have a fixed target for downforce and balancing. The latter has a big impact on the competitiveness of the car. As a percentage, in fact, it is more important than the total load since, a single-seater with a lower vertical thrust value but a balance optimized for the characteristics of the track, will tend to have a better performance than a car designed to generate the maximum load but with a non-optimal balance.
Keeping in mind that the BA (aerodynamic balance) is calculated as front downforce / total downforce , a loss of vertical thrust at the rear will result in a reduction in the total load generated and, consequently, a displacement of the BA towards the front. Factor that will make the car more unstable in fast corners. On a circuit like Barcelona , a stable rear end is necessary to be competitive in the first and second sectors. Consequently, to reach the minimum downforce target and at the same time enjoying a good balance, the teams were forced to implement heavier rear wings than in 2020. This resulted in an increase in drag, evidenced by the lower top speeds seen on most cars.
Speed analysis: Ferrari vs Mercedes
Looking at the data for Lewis Hamilton , it is obvious how the Briton accumulates a gap on the two main straights of the Spanish circuit due to a setup forced by the new rules. In turns 4, 7 and 9 the German car manages to be almost as competitive as in 2020, while in turns 1 and 5 it is slower by 9 and 4 km / h respectively. Which denotes a reduction in the total load produced by the W12 . To confirm this, we note how the Stevenage driver is forced to approach the slow corners of the T3 bringing a lower speed than last season.
Moving on to Ferrari , the numbers show that the Maranello team is one of the few exceptions in this world championship. The deltas compared to 2020 are minimal when compared to Mercedes . Due to a deficient PU , with the intention of increasing the poor performance on the straights, the SF1000 was forced to opt for very light aerodynamic setups . Factor that led the Red to have much lower cornering speeds than their rivals. Apart from the aerodynamic improvements to the rear, thanks to the recovery of power (about 25hp), the delay compared to last year has been reduced.
In fact, we note how in the main straight, unlike the German car, the SF21 benefits from a top speed of 2km / h. The only significant loss we find refer to Turn 1 (6km / h) and Turn 7 (8km / h). The performance in T3 should be positively emphasized . Charles Leclerc achieves better minimum speeds when compared to the Mercedes in turns 13, 14 and 15.
