The 2020 Formula One season has already started for Scuderia Ferrari. The new car should have more downforce, even at the cost of more drag. The engine has been redesigned on a grand scale. A presentation date for the 2020 Ferrari has also already been set. It is February 11th.
It was the day of reckoning. Ferrari President Louis Camilleri and team boss Mattia Binotto reviewed the past season, praised the team spirit as well as the reaction to a problematic start to the championship, and then listed the mistakes that were made in 2019, which the Italian side wants to avoid next year. The new season has long begun in Maranello, as Mattia Binotto reveals: “The new chassis is ready. We are going through the crash tests and homologation. The aerodynamics are still being developed in the wind tunnel. A few more sessions, and then there’s the package we want to launch at the test in Barcelona.”
The decision to continue with the 2019 tire has made the job easier for the Mercedes hunters. In retrospect, it can be said that Mercedes has responded better to the introduction of tires with a thinner tread and stiffer construction than the rest. Now that it is clear that nothing changes, Ferrari can implement its concept as planned: “Our next year’s car aims significantly more downforce, and with more downforce also comes more air resistance. We expect that we will not be so superior on the straights. The last races of this season have shown us that more downforce is the better way. Also because the tires stay the same.” – he explained.
Ferrari also focuses on the engine. Despite the doubts of the competition, the Ferrari V6 Turbo was considered the most powerful engine in the field even under normal conditions of use. And yet Ferrari is planning an engine with new cylinder heads that has undergone major changes in its architecture. Since the FIA has again tightened the safety regulations for the chassis, weight must be saved everywhere. “Luckily,” Binotto says, “the FIA came to meet us there. The minimum weight will increase by two kilograms next year to keep costs down. ”
The program until the start of the season is packed. A test with the 18-inch tires for 2021 is already pending for Ferrari in Jerez on February 8. On February 11th Ferrari will present its 2020 car in Maranello. “We will probably be the first this time,” Binotto believes. Above all, one wants to save time with the early presentation date. Before the test sessions in Barcelona, there are complex test bench runs for the car and engine in the factory.
Ferrari will significantly increase its budget next year and will also take on additional employees. Reason is the double burden with 2021. The restart of Formula 1 with a completely different vehicle concept forces the teams to start earlier than usual with the development of the 2021 car. “We need significantly more money for the parallel program,” admits Mattia Binotto. At the same time, Ferrari is building a new simulator on the factory premises. The current one is getting old.
In one point, the Ferrari team boss is almost happy: “We do not go as a favorite in the next season. Abu Dhabi clearly showed that we did not have the best car this year. The bar is set by the team that has won the last six titles and had the fastest car in the last race of the year. We see ourselves only as a challenger this time.” – the Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal explained.
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