Ferrari improves the car to fight against Red Bull

In Maranello, work is underway to modernize the car: according to rumors, a series of technical innovations presented in Barcelona will allow F1-75 to add 0.3-0.4 seconds, giving Charles Leclerc the opportunity to re-create to win races.

The Ferrari car was very fast and reliable from the start of the season, giving Scuderia an immediate lead in both championship standings and occupying these positions after five races, although the team has not yet introduced any noticeable technical innovations.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari decided it was time to jump into action, and the F1-75 will be significantly updated for the Spanish Grand Prix. First of all, there will be an improved underbody on the car, but also the diffuser and wings will be upgraded. Information on how much this will add is available only to the team’s engineers, who engaged in aerodynamic research and tested the capabilities of new products on the simulator, but they say we are talking about 0.3-0.4 seconds .

If this is true and the effectiveness of the new products on the track is confirmed, this should be enough for Charles Leclerc to add new such achievements to the wins in Bahrain and Australia (Max Verstappen has three wins).

During the days of the race weekend in Miami, it was discussed in the paddock that Ferrari’s rivals suspected the team of breaking the rules: a new bottom was said to have been installed on the car Carlos Sainz worked on the Pirelli tire tests at Imola.

But Mattia Binotto, the head of the Scuderia, assured that the car was fully compliant, as such a bottom had already been used at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which was subsequently confirmed by the FIA.

It will become clear in Barcelona whether Ferrari will be able to successfully withstand Red Bull Racing, as the team from Milton Keynes is also preparing a number of technical innovations.

A group of specialists led by Enrico Cardile (chassis) and David Sanchez (aerodynamics) is responsible for the modernization of the car at Maranello. The main efforts have been aimed at ensuring that the maximum use of the ground effect is created by the special design of the ground.

Thanks to the modified bottom of the RB18, Red Bull was able to add exactly and Ferrari had to respond to that. The task remained the same: the greatest possible reduction in ground clearance had to be achieved, thereby optimizing the ground effect. Mercedes in particular cannot yet boast much success in this area.

Also at Maranello they continue to work on reducing build-up of the car at high speeds on the straights – so far only Red Bull and Ferrari have been able to make noticeable progress in this area, but the search for solutions that would reduce the chassis to minimize destabilization.