Ferrari has taken a strategic step back to older car specifications at the British Grand Prix, deviating from the recent upgrades that led to performance setbacks. At a noteworthy juncture in this year’s racing calendar, Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have revealed a significant decision to revert the SF-24’s specifications to those used earlier at Imola. This change was prompted after the enhancements introduced in Spain led to unsatisfactory results, such as an increase in car bouncing at high speeds, adversely affecting performance across recent events.
During the qualifying rounds at Silverstone, the implications of these technical challenges were evident. Charles Leclerc struggled, failing to advance beyond Q2, while Carlos Sainz managed to secure a seventh-place start, just one position behind Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg. These results spurred a deeper analysis within the Ferrari camp.
Leclerc shared his insights on the adjustment, noting, “It was a little bit better and that is the main reason why we came back to the old package.” The decision to revert to past specifications was based on an evaluation that showed marginally superior performance with the older setup. He further elaborated on the ongoing efforts to diagnose the team’s recent downturn in form: “Well, I won’t go too much into detail but for sure we’ve lost some performance since Monaco, as a matter of fact, and we are looking into it. That’s also why we are doing all these tests.” Leclerc underscored the significance of these evaluations: “We came to the conclusion that it was the right choice to come back, for this weekend, mostly because of bouncing and we’ll take the right decision for the future very soon. And what we’ve done yesterday was very helpful to help us take the right decision going forward.”
Sainz also weighed in on the situation, recognizing that while the upgrade did not enhance performance, it offered a bit more consistency in high-speed maneuvering, slightly mitigating the bouncing issue. He expressed, “It hasn’t given us any extra performance, it’s just given us a little bit more consistency in the high-speed given we have a bit less bouncing on that floor and we need to make the car as consistent or predictable as possible in the high speed knowing that obviously, we’re not going forwards or backwards, we’re just making the area a bit more consistent.” However, he acknowledged the ongoing issues from the start of the season: “Yes, like this. From the beginning of the year, we already had a bit of bouncing so, it is still an intrinsic weakness. But the new one was clearly worse than the old one on Silverstone, I would say.”
This strategic pivot at Silverstone serves as a critical moment for Ferrari as they navigate through the challenges of the season. Both drivers are engaged in a process of thorough testing and analysis to determine the optimal specifications for the upcoming races. The outcomes of these decisions will likely resonate beyond individual races, potentially influencing the team’s approach to car development and strategy as the season progresses. As Ferrari continues to assess and adjust, the broader implications for their championship aspirations and technological strategies remain a compelling narrative within the world of Formula 1 racing.
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