The return of Singapore was certainly appreciated by F1 fans, but the event which everyone was waiting for takes place next weekend. Teams, drivers and fans are thrilled to see the Suzuka circuit back on the Formula 1 calendar again. A technically complete and spectacular track that enhances the qualities of the cars and the drivers’ talent.
An even more crucial appointment given the moment: Max Verstappen in fact has a new match point for the world championship, in Honda’s home race. Officially we know how the power unit supplier is Red Bull Powertrains, but the Japanese company is still very close to the Milton Keynes team so much so that, right on their circuit, the Honda logo will return on the two RB18 cars and the two AT02 cars.
Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes will try to spoil their party. However, both cars are struggling with a form that is certainly not comparable to that of Adrian Newey’s car at the moment. The F1-75 is making a comeback after the problems that emerged in Belgium, but its limits are still evident. The W13, on the other hand, remains a car capable of important peak performance, but still very unfriendly and problematic. The rivals are fierce and the idea of delaying the Red Bull party is well in their heads. And these days the fight is on even away from the track between these teams.
Ferrari: the problems remain, the new floor will help but it will not be a revolution.
A few weeks ago, Ferrari used its final filming day with Carlos Sainz at Fiorano to test the new floor in view of Singapore. Then Ferrari decided to delay the introduction of the new component due to the characteristics of the Singapore asphalt. In Maranello they did not want to run the risk of damaging the updated floor, thus having to incur additional expenses for replacement materials.
Not being a specific development for that type of track, the introduction was postponed for Suzuka. The new floor is in the Suzuka pits and is mounted on Charles Leclerc’s car. Ferrari will also carry out a comparative test regarding the wings: medium load for Charles Leclerc and medium / high load for Carlos Sainz, according to formu1a.uno.
In Marina Bay, however, we saw the signs of a Ferrari in recovery, a team that has certainly not surrendered in front of the difficulties which emerged after the summer break. The pace on the intermediates was good, the performance in qualifying has never been lacking, while with the slicks the situation was also complicated by the Charles Leclerc – Sergio Perez fight and due to a set-up not exactly suitable for Carlos Sainz. As well as other factors that, however, have increased a gap that is still present.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
The post-Technical Directive 39/22 problem for the F1-75 is in fact that of a change in terms of suspension setup, which has distorted the characteristics of the car. The behavior in traction and in slow corners has gradually improved, but tire management now remains a weak point of the Maranello team, as compared to both Red Bull and Mercedes.
Suzuka will therefore be a very important appointment for Scuderia Ferrari. The track should partially suit the F1-75 which in the medium-high speed sections is still capable of going faster than the RB18 and W13, but in the race it will be necessary to find a way to mitigate the wear of the tires which will be high. The new floor is not a response to the TD39 but an update already planned for some time, a further step after the floor version introduced in the French Grand Prix.
Leave a Reply