The Ferrari SF21 will be presented in two days: it is the car with which the Prancing Horse is looking for redemption in Formula 1. After a season of suffering, will the Maranello team be able to find itself again?
The expectation is growing for the Ferrari SF21, the red car that will have the difficult task of bringing the name of the Prancing Horse back up in the F1 world championship. 2020 was one of the worst seasons for the Maranello team, with just three podium finishes and all in fortunate circumstances. The problems on the power unit induced by the secret agreement have relegated Ferrari to the lower areas of the ranking, a place that certainly does not honor the Scuderia’s history.
The SF21 will be able to count on a totally new propulsion unit, a revised chassis where the tokens have been spent in the rear area in search of the aerodynamic downforce that was missing last year. The shortcomings of the car have been evident in the last few projects, as even the SF90 that gave the latest satisfactions was struggling on the tracks composed of medium-slow sections. The gap with Mercedes and Red Bull by Honda has grown dramatically in the last 12 months, but the problem is also represented by the mid-table teams that have made considerable progress.
Aston Martin is a candidate for the role of challenger, thanks to the arrival of Sebastian Vettel and the increasingly close partnership with the three-pointed star. McLaren will count on Brixworth engines, on one of the best drivers pairs (the Ricciardo – Norris line-up will be very strong), and aerodynamic updates. The mysterious object will be represented by Alpine, with the return of Fernando Alonso who still fascinates the nostalgic world of Formula 1. The Spaniard, after two years in which he has taken great satisfaction between endurance and Dakar, wants to make the youngsters understand that he is still one of the men to beat.
As stated by Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s goal is to constantly fight for the podium, in the hope that the regulatory revolution of 2022 will further shuffle the cards. If you look back, Ferrari has always managed to respond well to the most difficult seasons: in 2015 there were three successes with Sebastian Vettel after the disastrous approach with the turbo-hybrid era, while five years before Fernando Alonso fought for the title until the last race after a disappointing 2009 season. Ditto in 2006 with Michael Schumacher who lost the title after a very close battle.
Obviously it was a different Formula 1, where developments were much easier, while the Ferrari SF21 will essentially represent an evolution of the car that preceded it. There is cautious optimism about the new engine, while the rear of the car has been thoroughly revised. It will be important to find good tire management and driveability worthy of the talent of Charles Leclerc, who will form an unprecedented pair with Carlos Sainz. The drivers are a certainty, while the car is the unknown. The season debut in Bahrainit will be a good test, being one of the tracks where the power unit matters most. A few months ago it was a massacre for Ferrari, but now there is no more room for errors. The new Ferrari must absolutely represent the rebirth of the Prancing Horse.
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