Janice R. Andrews
If Ferrari intends to fight Red Bull in the second half of the season, Nico Rosberg has sent a strong message to the team, highlighting the fact that they cannot afford to make any more mistakes with their improvements. Ferrari seemed to be securing their place as Red Bull’s closest rival after winning the Monaco Grand Prix in May; they now trail Red Bull by less than a race win in the Constructors’ Championship.
But after just six races, Ferrari is in third in the championship standings, 63 points behind Red Bull and behind McLaren. Their expedited development plans for the Spanish Grand Prix are to blame for this dramatic turn of events. Unfortunately, the performance of the automobile suffered as a result of the additional elements that were added during this period. Driver for Ferrari Carlos Sainz bemoaned that these errors cost the team “two to three months” of valuable development time.
The primary problem was the altered floor plan, which caused the vehicles to bounce during fast turns. “It isn’t good,” Rosberg expressed to Sky F1. “The upgrades brought bouncing in high-speed corners, which is not something you want to have, so it got away from them a little bit.”
Rosberg went on to say that Ferrari was compelled to take a step back, reevaluate the situation, and make necessary corrections since they were unable to identify the underlying source of the problem. He pointed out that this relapse is especially harmful when rivals like as McLaren are making consistent, noteworthy advancements. “When someone like McLaren is simply straight-lining the development curve at an incredible pace, you cannot allow yourself to do that.” They are currently three, four, or five tenths behind where they were, and that is the reason. See if they can go any closer,” he continued.
Martin Brundle had similar views to those of Rosberg, claiming that the improvement implemented following Spain and in the vicinity of Imola did not provide the anticipated outcomes. They discovered both functional and non-functional parts. I feel that Ferrari has to reset right now because they look to be a little bit at sea. Although it’s not as bad as what’s happening at Aston Martin, Ferrari has unquestionably slipped from the top speed, said Brundle.
The Dutch Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place at Zandvoort from August 23 to August 25, is currently the focus of attention as the season moves forward. With the modifications made during the summer break, Ferrari will be looking to get closer to Red Bull and establish themselves once again as a serious contender for the title.
This season’s experience for Ferrari is a sobering reminder of the narrow margins in Formula 1, where a single error may have far-reaching consequences. The Scuderia will need to win these races in order to turn around and present a formidable threat to their competitors.
