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Ferrari has recovered “quite a lot” of its straightline speed deficit from 2020 with the developments for its 2021 Formula 1 car and engine, the team believes.
Technical directives were issued towards the end of the 2019 season and for the start of 2020 to stop suspected manipulation of rules governing fuel-flow and oil burning.
Ferrari suffered badly, falling from having the most powerful engine prior to these TDs to having a significant disadvantage in 2020, compounded by its car having too much aerodynamic drag for its reduced power output.
An in-season development freeze for the engine manufacturers meant Ferrari could not address that situation during the 2020 campaign, which last year team boss Mattia Binotto said prevented Ferrari from making rapid gains.
Its effort has instead been poured into a very different 2021 engine, as well as making its chassis more aerodynamically efficient.
“I’m expecting the speed not to be such an issue as it was” :: Mattia Binotto
“Last year the main issue was the speed on the straight lines, not only the power but both power and drag,” Binotto said on Friday at the first of two team launch events, two weeks before its SF21 is revealed.
“We’ve worked a lot, both on the power unit and the car aerodynamics to reduce the drag of the car, and based on our simulations today, based on what we can see in terms of power output from the dynos, and the drag of the car from the windtunnel, I think that we recovered quite a lot of speed on the straight lines.
“So, I’m expecting the speed not to be such an issue as it was.
“We hope to be competitive but we will know it only when being in Bahrain. It’s always relative to what the others are doing.
“But we believe that our car is certainly more efficient compared to the one we had last year, both from the aero point of view, and from the power unit point of view.”
Though it could not develop its engine last year Ferrari was able to make some progress with its SF21 and Charles Leclerc used that to good effect, scoring points in seven consecutive races after recording just three points finishes in the first eight grands prix.
That was not enough to prevent a miserable finish in the constructors’ championship though, as Ferrari slumped to sixth place – its worst result since 1980.
Major mechanical car components are being carried over for 2021, following the delay of new technical rules to next year, which also means Ferrari has been restricted in how much it could develop for 2021.
It has spent its two development tokens at the rear of the car, and Leclerc and new signing Carlos Sainz Jr are buoyed by what they have seen at the factory.
However, Sainz – who replaces four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari – says it is “impossible to know” whether Ferrari will break free of the midfield and re-establish itself as part of a top three again with Mercedes and Red Bull.
“We know what we have done, we know what our simulations say where we should be in terms of top speeds and drag and power etc,” he said.
“We obviously have all those numbers. But without the numbers of our competitors in front of us, it’s almost impossible to predict where that’s going to put us.
“I’m happy and proud of the efforts of the whole team, I’ve seen good progress.
“But until we see what the rivals have done, it’s going to be impossible to know if it’s enough or not.”
Leclerc added it is “very difficult” to judge Ferrari’s progress before the season opener in Bahrain on March 28.
“It looks like quite a good step and I think there’s been a lot of work,” he said.
“We’ve been here with Carlos since the beginning of the season pushing quite a lot and seeing the improvement of the car.
“It always looks positive on paper but then we need to see what the others have done as a step, and where we are compared to them.
“I’m confident that the team is giving its best. We will only understand [the outcome] at the first race.”
