Ferrari has had a string of unlucky finishes this season, placing a disappointing fifth in the constructor standings. what transpired with Ferrari at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Ferrari experienced another humiliating weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix as the Scuderia finished 13th and 14th at Spa-Francorchamps. Ferrari has had a string of unlucky finishes this season, placing a disappointing fifth in the constructor standings. However, the historic team was downsized during the Belgian Grand Prix, and it was embarrassing and occasionally pitiful to see them compete as they did.
Ferrari’s performance throughout practice sessions last weekend was awful. Charles Leclerc, the best-placed driver in a red car down in 15th, 1.696 seconds off the pace, acknowledged Ferrari’s appalling Friday practice pace was worse than expected. This was especially disappointing considering they were the only team from the previous year to have a slower car.
Ferrari therefore attempted to fix the issue by increasing the car’s down force. That did absolutely nothing to aid their situation, and it appeared that they may lose both of their cars in qualifying. Even though Vettel and Leclerc both banged wheels at one point during the race on Sunday, they managed to survive. After the race, Vettel spoke with Sky F1 and said, “Hopefully, the issues just affect Spa. This past weekend taught us a lot, and we now have two crucial races coming up that demand our whole attention. It is what it is, the bundle. Even though there aren’t many positive things, we must maintain our optimism and look for them.”
Right now, it looks rather unlikely. The timing of the upcoming races in Italy, where Ferrari is based, at Monza and Mugello could not have been worse. Neither the racers nor their engineering staff have been able to address their lack of straight-line speed.
Flavio Briatore, a former Renault Team Principal, elaborated on this by saying, “There are some people who always choose the most challenging route. And at the moment, Ferrari is doing that. Any driver would love to drive for Ferrari for two or three years given their significant business and stellar reputation.
The track, though, shows that there have been issues for a while. They’ve had excellent drivers, therefore there must be a reason why they haven’t had any victories. In this instance, Ferrari’s lack of a defined leadership structure is the cause.”
And he probably has a point. Ferrari currently suffers from a glaring lack of vision and clarity that is detrimental to their chances and is not expected to improve any time soon.
In This Article...
Ferrari allegedly “doesn’t know” why they are lacking in race pacing and is testing an old floor.
Mattia Binotto claims he doesn’t know whether Ferrari isn’t getting the most out of the upgrades or whether they’ve gone in the wrong direction because he hasn’t been able to match Max Verstappen’s pace in recent races.
Ferrari may take some solace from the fact that, despite making mistakes that cost them points in the first half of the championship, its F1-75 was competitive with Red Bull’s RB18.
Verstappen has advanced on the track due to Red Bull’s development strategy, but Ferrari has not been in a position to challenge the Dutchman for the race wins in the last three races.
With only eight races left, Charles Leclerc is 109 points behind the leader in the Drivers’ standings, which is a problem for Binotto.
Binotto told The Race, “I think [Zandvoort] was quite a parallel to Hungary. It’s three races in a row that we don’t have the pace on Sunday.
“We had a strong qualifying round this past weekend, and we are performing well. However, we lack enough competition in the race. And that makes life much harder because we can’t compete with Max for the win and we lack the speed to keep Mercedes in the rear.
“We have now gone three races without performing to our potential or the potential of the car, both of which we have demonstrated since the season’s beginning. And because there are still a few races left, we must address that as quickly as feasible.
“We continue to strive for success, and Monza is only one of the races we hope to win. We must respond.”
Ferrari has “lost pace,” and Charles Leclerc admits that Monza is a concern.
Charles Leclerc is concerned that Monza won’t be a “fantastic track” for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix because of recent losses.
Although the Scuderia placed third at Spa and Zandvoort, Max Verstappen won both events, therefore the team was mostly absent from the championship battle.
And the Monegasque acknowledged Ferrari has to recapture their form after Leclerc only finished third last Sunday because to Mercedes putting Lewis Hamilton out on worn tyres during a Safety Car.
“Not really; we simply lacked pace. In response to the question of whether he could have won in the Netherlands, he responded, “We didn’t… we weren’t quick enough.
Therefore, trying to regain the speed we had at the start of the season is the key priority right now.
“We seem to have lost it, especially in the long runs, a little bit of pace.”
Leclerc acknowledged that the situation might not get much better this weekend at Monza because Red Bull has dominated this year on circuits with a lot of long straightaways.
But regardless, I’m eager to see that place. There is always a tremendous amount of support. And because of that, I’m incredibly excited.
Leclerc also argues that despite Ferrari’s recent string of poor choices and errors, he has no worries about the team.
He continued, “We need to maintain the team’s trust.” “I believe this to be quite vital, particularly if you encounter more challenging circumstances.
We are a highly cohesive team overall, and I have complete faith in the group. We constantly work to make the process better.
“On my end, I constantly want to improve, and that’s what we do. I make an effort not to pay attention to what is stated outside and instead concentrate on improving myself.
Mattia Binotto, the head of Ferrari, disputed that the recent technical instruction issued from Spa had any bearing on the team’s recent decline in performance as compared to Red Bull and Mercedes.
He was quoted by Corriere della Sera as saying, “We have to discover if these balance concerns are the product of set-up choices or if they are the result of the recent advancements.”
“The directive itself is not the problem; its consequences are insignificant. In this place [Zandvoort], where this restriction was absent, we have encountered circumstances resembling those in Budapest. We weren’t fast, regardless of the tires we were running.
Why is the Mercedes F1 so sluggish?
The bouncing has severely harmed the car, which is the main reason Mercedes is having trouble in the 2017 F1 season.
After decades gone, ground effect is now permitted in Formula One as part of the new technical regulations.
In order to generate downforce, you essentially want to run your car as close to the track as you can.
The Mercedes’ ride height does, however, drop as it gains downforce at high speed.
The cycle then repeats itself as the car drops once more as it gains downforce.
- Lewis Hamilton must now have a Sebastian Vettel season if he wants to win his eighth world championship in 2022.
In testing, it has had an impact on the majority of the teams, although Mercedes is having more difficulty with the W13 than others.
Have F1 vehicles slowed down?
When drivers took practice laps in Barcelona, we had the opportunity to see the new Formula 1 cars in action for the first time. The new cars appear to be somewhat slower based on the times that were clocked during this first practice session.
Pre-season practice at Barcelona was last conducted in 2020, and lap times this year have been slower than those times.
However, this does not include everything that happened. A turn on the circuit has also been changed, and there was no practice in Barcelona in 2021. A
It’s also vital to keep in mind that drivers are still getting used to these new cars because they’re so new. As drivers and teams as a whole adapt to the new generation, teams are being cautious with how they handle the cars.
Why are longer F1 vehicles faster but less effective?
A car has more downforce and grip the bigger and heavier it is, therefore it is faster and more stable. Because of this, today’s F1 vehicles are the fastest ever and break numerous lap records.
The issue is that overtaking gets trickier as these cars get more stable and rely more on downforce. The complexity of the aerodynamics and the size of the wings render the slipstream ineffective. Additionally, the size of the vehicles makes passing more tough, particularly on urban circuits like Monaco where it is difficult for two vehicles to be in parallel.
In the words of Max Verstappen:
“We are all aware of the true issue. At least on the majority of the tracks where we race, these vehicles are hard to pass with “.
However, there is some good news: 2022 will usher in a new era for Formula 1. The rules governing aerodynamics will significantly change, allowing for considerably simpler and smaller cars.
Although the course will be between 3 and 5 seconds per lap slower, the improvements for the upcoming season are especially intended to allow more overtaking and greater spectacle. We will observe if or not these lofty objectives are accomplished next season.
Cars in Formula 2 are they slower?
F2 vehicles typically lapped the track 10 to 15 seconds slower than F1 vehicles. Using the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix as an example, Callum Ilott established a record for F2 with a time of 1m28.381s, while Lewis Hamilton won pole with a time of 1m15.584s.
The difference between the two disciplines may be clearly seen when comparing them on the same track (and in this example, throughout the same weekend). F2 vehicles are less complicated than F1 vehicles, offering drivers a stepping stone to the world’s top single-seater championship.
With the DRS activated, 3.4-liter V6 Mecachrome-powered F2 cars may reach a top speed of about 335 km/h in the low-drag configuration utilized at Monza. While 0-200 km/h may be reached in 6.6 seconds, 0-100 km/h takes about 2.9 seconds.
What made Ferrari so famous?
Thousands of spectators wearing Rossa Corsa and waving Ferrari flags may be seen at any Formula One race. Although the majority of these people will never purchase or use a Ferrari product, they have an unmatched emotional attachment to the brand. What Ferrari has accomplished over the past 60 years is quite exceptional in terms of creating deep emotional bonds with its supporters and clients.
How can Ferrari create this emotional connection with its fans that defies logic? It’s easy; we value those who excel in the activities we find most enjoyable. Ferrari’s love of speed, racing, and design is adored by millions of motorsports and racing enthusiasts worldwide.
The reputation of Ferrari is largely a result of its 60 years of extremely successful motorsports history, particularly its racing achievements in Formula One. The Ferrari name is not just famous, but it has come to represent the triumph of Italian pride in general. Ferrari has done a wonderful job exploiting its success in motor racing to forge an emotional connection with its audience. The story-telling element of branding is very powerful.
Ferrari has also made excellent use of its brand equity. Ferrari no longer just makes money by selling sports cars or winning races. Due only to the Ferrari name, Ferrari has developed new revenue streams. For instance, Ferrari’s licensing and retail operation, worth US$1.5 billion, has inspired sporting properties all over the world. In reality, Ferrari admits that the licensing of its name, badge, and prancing Italian horse insignia accounts for nearly 50% of its profits. At Ferrari, they refer to it as “found money” or “solde trovati.”
Ferrari’s success cannot be determined by its earnings, sales, or market value. Success for Ferrari should be evaluated in terms of brand equity and brand value.