(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto sees his expectations met in the first week of Barcelona testing. The Italian hopes that his team will not only find more downforce, but that the SF1000 will suit both drivers. “That is certainly one of our goals.”
© LAT
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How is the SF1000 Sebastian Vettel? zoom
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At the presentation of the new red racer, Binotto had to admit that the SF90 was originally designed for Sebastian Vettel in 2019 – in contrast to Charles Leclerc, it was involved in the development. But it turned out during the season that the Ferrari had an unstable rear.
A characteristic that Vettel doesn’t like. Which is why Leclerc got along better with the SF90 than originally thought. Both pilots have now spoken a word in the development of the successor model. At the launch, Binotto emphasized that they had worked on the stability of the rear.
“It is certainly one of our goals to design the car in such a way that both drivers feel comfortable, including Seb,” emphasizes the 50-year-old after the third day of testing. It will only be possible to judge whether this was successful in the next week or even in the season.
At least Leclerc could already see more flexibility in the coordination work. In general, during the winter break, Ferrari focused on downforce – cornering was the SF90’s major weakness. Due to the increased downforce, Ferrari must fear more drag on the straights, which limits the power advantage.
F1 2020: fateful year for Sebastian Vettel
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That’s exactly what Binotto was able to observe in the first few days: “If you compare the performance with the previous year, we are significantly faster in the corners and slower on the straight.” So the data would match expectations.
“So yes, we have more downforce,” says the team boss. But whether that will be enough to beat Mercedes and Red Bull remains uncertain. In the first week of testing, the Italians tried to run their test program as inconspicuously as possible.
Vettel only ranks 14th (+ 2.4 seconds) in the overall result of the first test week, Leclerc 16th (+ 2.5 seconds). That’s why Binotto is already writing off the season opener.
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