Ferrari plans a “significant” change in the direction of development – but no upgrade of the engine

Ferrari made a big admission on Tuesday, the eve of Formula 1 2020 restart, when they said that after analyzing the test data, the team was taking “a significant change in direction in terms of development.”

That said, the car they will be driving in the first two laps in Austria will be the same one they tested in Barcelona in February. Your updated car will then break cover in round three in Hungary.

It is assumed that they will not only drive the same package in Austria, but will also use the same unit. This means that, according to the new regulations for this year, the engine will be largely frozen and only an update for the ERS elements is permitted or changes in the entire device for reasons of reliability that have still been approved by the FIA.

READ MORE: Red Bull and AlphaTauri benefit from the new Honda engine in Austria

“This weekend the car will drive in the same configuration that was used towards the end of the Barcelona tests,” said Mattia Binotto, head of the Ferrari team. “This does not mean that we kept our fingers crossed in the very limited time of just five and a half weeks we were able to work on the cars, as both the pandemic and the pandemic were strictly bypassed Activities in consultation with the teams.

“The truth is that the result of the tests meant that we made a significant change in direction in terms of development, especially in the aerodynamic area. First we had to understand why we didn’t see the expected results on the right track and how much we had to recalibrate the entire program as a result.

“It would have been counterproductive to continue in the direction we were planning because we knew we would not have achieved our goals. For this reason, we decided to develop a new program that deals with the entire car and knows that not everything is ready for the first race. Our goal is to present the updates for the third race on July 19th at the Hungaroring. “

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Ferrari, unable to keep up with Mercedes’ impressive pace in the pre-season tests, was among the first to stop production, and the area around its Maranello base was one of the first to suffer from the corona virus . Once the situation improved, Ferrari worked hard to find a way forward, and while the car will be the same in Austria, Binotto says lessons have been learned and can be applied.

“In addition to the actual development of the car, we have worked a lot on analyzing its behavior in the past few weeks, with simulation work and with the help of our drivers, and I think that will prove itself in Austria,” he added.

“We know that we don’t currently have the fastest package. We knew it before we went to Melbourne and that hasn’t changed. Nevertheless, the Spielberg race track has different properties than Montmelo and the temperatures will be significantly higher than in February.

“In Austria we have to try to make the most of every opportunity, and then in Hungary with the new development step we are working on, we can see where we are really compared with the others and take this into account the developments that our competitors themselves brought with it. “

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