There is no doubt that the first shockwave through Ferrari was during winter testing and then another came yesterday when the space of SF1000 was nowhere near the Mercedes and in fact, it could be argued that it might be the 5th fastest car on the grid overall.
That may be a slight jump to a conclusion based on one track and one race but regardless, the planned major revamp of their car in Hungary is now being pushed for next weekend’s race.
“The SF1000 didn’t measure up, even compared to expectations ahead of the event. Because of this, development has already been going on at full pace for some time. This is in the hope of bringing forward to next weekend the introduction of the aerodynamic package scheduled for the Hungarian Grand Prix – or, at least, some of its components.
It’s not that these new parts are expected to completely bridge the gap compared to the front of the grid. But the progress in terms of lap time could allow the team to move up the order and put the drivers in a better condition to be able to display their talent. Moreover it’s about checking that the chosen direction of development is the right one, precisely because it will be possible to do a true back-to-back on every upgrade.”
The deficit they saw on Sunday is most likely going to present next weekend as well as in Hungary so bringing as many parts as you can now could be a big help to limit the damage the team may endure despite the inherited 2nd place in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Ferrari certainly understand they are down on pace and they know they need to work quickly in this truncated season to remedy the situation. If rapid prototyping was important in a normal season, imagine how critical it will be for them in 2020. If these planned upgrades for Hungary are moved up and they fail to cure some of the deficit, the pressure will be insurmountable at Ferrari and you may see the team really pull out all the stops on in-season development.
Hat Tip: Ferrari
