(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari is only waiting for approval from the FIA. The team from Maranello will introduce the third Power Unit 067/6 in Spielberg, equipped with the modifications allowed by ADUO (“Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities”).
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The Scuderia should be able to reduce the performance deficit compared to the Mercedes combustion engine – also thanks to the collaboration of the team around Enrico Gualtieri with the Shell laboratory in Hamburg, which has developed a new fuel for the next upgrade stage of the engine.
It is difficult to determine to what extent the performance increase is due to the new homologated fuel and to what extent to the changes allowed by the FIA. The engine upgrade is expected to bring around 15 hp.
Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona has inspired the team from Maranello, which now hopes to confirm the performance leap of the SF-26 in Styria thanks to the second aerodynamic update package introduced in Spain after the one in Miami.
The reduction of air resistance and the increased downforce allowed the car developed by Loic Serra to dominate in the heat of Montmelo.
In this configuration, Ferrari was the car with the best tire management and broke the dominance of Mercedes, which had won all the first six races of the season.
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In the debriefing of the Grand Prix of Barcelona, an attempt was made to clarify the cause of the electronic problem that disabled Charles Leclerc’s hydraulic system shortly before the end of the race.
The Monegasque lost power steering, brake-by-wire, and parts of the active aerodynamics. The technicians are still searching for the cause of the failure and do not rule out that Leclerc’s accident in the Antony-Noghes corner in Monaco could also be related.
Leclerc must regain confidence in the SF-26, and Austria could be the right track for this, especially since he has always been very competitive in Spielberg in the past.
After 34 races, Ferrari has finally secured another victory and now must confirm that it can challenge Mercedes permanently. At the same time, reactions from the competition are to be expected: Red Bull, for example, plans to debut an extensive update package on its home track.
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