Ferrari will bring many updates to Barcelona to reduce the two main problems of the single-seater of the Maranello team. Problems that were clearly encountered during the season, namely porpoising and aerodynamic resistance.
There are problems
In Miami, the jumping was less evident, both due to the track conditions and the type of asphalt used. Another aspect not to be underestimated is also Ferrari's much lighter set-up on the rear wing. A choice that has greatly reduced the vertical thrust of the flows in the rear part of the machine. On the other hand, we could see a lot of drag on the straight due to both the Ferrari bellies generating a lot of drag. Even though the DRS mechanism is not as efficient as that of Red Bull.
Ready updates
Because of these two problems, Ferrari lost a lot in every straight line to Red Bull. However, the Austrian team maintained an unloaded configuration which didn't allow the Reds to make up the gap in the slow riding part. The only point where Ferrari was slightly quicker than Red Bull was the first sector in the fast-driving section. Another problem that Ferrari will try to solve in Barcelona is keeping the tire temperatures constant throughout the lap. We will try to avoid high temperature changes which wear out the tires more, give less grip and generate graining.
To solve these problems, what updates will Ferrari bring to Barcelona? Il Maranello team is preparing many new features for the most complete and decisive track of this first part of the season. Catalunya is a complete track (with fast corners, slow corners, gradient changes, abrasive asphalt, etc.) and this allows the teams to bring many updates.
Ferrari will bring a new high-load front and rear wing (the latter which was seen during the Monza filming day). There will also be an aerodynamic change to the brake ducts. In addition there will be a reduction of the bellies in the final part (Coca Cola area) and they will narrow more so as to have more flows going towards the differential and the beam wing. This update has already been scheduled from testing in Bahrain. In fact, during the season the F1-75 will be increasingly efficient and narrower in the belly area. You won't sacrifice space for radiators and intercoolers.
New in weight
Another update for Barcelona will be the weight reduction of 2kg by removing the transparent foil around the car above the paint. We will try to reduce the weight of various components of the single-seater in order to reach the minimum weight of 798kg. Finally, Ferrari will bring a new background with a less marked edge between the background and the diffuser, which will aim to reduce porpoising. Overall, Ferrari estimates to reduce the lap time by 2/3 tenths.
Watch out for the budget cap variant
How is Red Bull going to respond? On the other hand, the Milton Keynes team will bring updates to the rear wing and a 7kg weight reduction. The goal is always to get close to the minimum weight of 798kg. As Horner had already said, the Milton Keynes team will concentrate on trying to reduce the weight of the single-seater for this first part of the season. We saw the 4kg weight reduction at Imola.
Both Ferrari and Red Bull will bring major updates to Barcelona, but which of the two will win this update war? For the moment we do not know, but beware of the guarantor of all these expenses ori.e. the budget cap. Ferrari already plans to bring an account of its expenses made during this first part of the season. The Reds also request it for the other teams, in particular for Red Bull. Will the budget cap make a difference between now and the end of the season? Probably yes.
