(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari was one of the big disappointments at the Miami Grand Prix: The Scuderia had indeed used the five-week break since Japan to develop numerous updates for the SF-26, but the big breakthrough was missing. Even McLaren and Red Bull now seem to have caught up with Ferrari.
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But does this really correspond to the new reality, or will Ferrari return to its old strength in Canada? According to current data analyses, the real reason for the disappointing performance in Miami seems to lie primarily in the lack of engine power.
This problem is well known to the technicians in Maranello. There, they hope at least partially to reduce the gap to Mercedes with the help of the so-called ADUO regulation (“Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities”).
In the paddock, a deficit of around 30 hp is mentioned, but the internal figures rather speak of 21 to 22 hp. The goal of the engine department led by Enrico Gualtieri is to at least halve this difference. The FIA will announce after Canada which manufacturers will be approved for ADUO; then the development measures are to take place.
Ferrari already has engine changes planned
Because in Maranello they are already working intensively on it, the changes to the 067/6 engine are apparently already defined. Modifications to the combustion chamber are planned to improve behavior at high RPM. An intervention on the turbocharger is also very likely, but less in size than in the number and angle of the blades in the impeller.
The update package is to debut with the third engine, whose use will probably be brought forward to the Belgian Grand Prix on July 19. The second engine was “sealed” in Miami, while the first unit will probably only be used for free practice sessions in the future.
Apart from Leclerc’s mistake in the final phase and Lewis Hamilton’s problems after contact with Franco Colapinto, Leclerc’s SF-26 showed a consistent and confident pace in the first twelve laps. After the safety car, however, the performance was no longer the same: the Ferrari became vulnerable, and Lando Norris had no trouble taking the lead.
Update package at Ferrari shows effect, but …
The data analysis after the race paints a clear picture: The update package introduced in Florida basically confirms its effect, although it remains open whether it was actually more effective than the developments from McLaren and Red Bull.
What is indisputable, however, is that the behavior of the SF-26 changed massively after the safety car phase. Leclerc had to use all his driving skills to at least defend the podium place and mask the problems of the “Cavallino Rampante” until his driving error in the last lap.
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Miami: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
The cause was apparently a not optimally tuned setup. Possibly Ferrari was influenced by the threat of rain. The fact is: The rear tires fell out of the optimal working window after the safety car and overheated after cooling down during the safety car phase and needing several laps to get back up to temperature.
As a result, the SF-26 began to slide and lost the traction advantage that previously resulted from the extremely stable rear. This generated high downforce values, supported by the complex FTM system, which improves air extraction from the diffuser and the efficiency of the rear wing thanks to the blown exhaust.
Ferrari must not rely solely on ADUO help
The Miami Grand Prix has thus ruthlessly exposed where the problems of the Scuderia lie: The Mercedes W17 remains the reference vehicle, but McLaren and Red Bull apparently found the right development path faster than Ferrari.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur had considered the fourth race of the year, especially after the long break since Japan, as a kind of restart. Nevertheless, the Scuderia once again did not give the impression of having fully exploited the potential of the car developed by Loic Serra.
However, Ferrari will not be able to rely solely on the miracle effect of the engine further developed via ADUO, especially since the deficit to the Mercedes power unit can probably only be halved. It will be more crucial to consistently play to the existing strengths of the project, which are still adhered to internally.
The race in Canada will be an important test to better understand what was missing in Miami. Even greater are the expectations for Monaco, where the differences in the power unit weigh significantly less. There, Ferrari could actually make a statement and finally align its ambitions with expectations.
Moreover, project 679 (the car for the following year) is already underway and will no longer be stopped. It is important to gain certainty about the path to be taken in the near future, to go beyond the “first encouraging signs of our progress within the framework of the new regulations,” as CEO Benedetto Vigna put it.
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