Once, in Canada, I happened to give Adrian a lift Newey from the hotel to the circuit. During the trip he complained about the ‘new’ Silverstone, which had distorted the essence of the old circuit. The one where I had seen Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell exalted. But nostalgia is only good for the serial depressed and, if nothing else, the “new” facility boasts toilets at the level of European standards (before, no). Silverstone will no longer be the track that the Ferrari driver Nigel described to the young Maranello test drivers with “always go full and never brake“; however, it is still a complete test bed for all the parameters of a single-seater: chassis, aerodynamics, engine and tire grip. I still have vivid memories of the last Ferrari victory, with Vettel hunted by the Rosea reporter who wanted at all costs to find out the causes of his neck discomfort (no one who has a neck discomfort really knows how he got it) ; I remember returning to the hotel, yearning for a Dry Martini, and the first meeting with a very English-speaking and very unsportsmanlike fan, who wanted at all costs to make me admit that we had cheated. But where?
Even against the odds, despite not winning, in recent years Ferrari has often behaved well “at home”. Given the performances in Barcelona, a circuit that has a minimum of similarities with the English one, the F1-75 is to be expected to perform well, even if the tire problems will be opposite to those of Spain. Given the expected temperatures, about half that in Montmelò, it is reasonable to expect the risk of graining on the treads.
But the weekend, like all weekends, will open with technical checks: and it is worth returning to the topic of residues in the exhaust pipe that lately have been of such interest to the marshals in the pits. I made some checks: the yellowish-white substance that remains at the bottom of the terminal – actually a kind of ointment – would be mainly composed of potassium. With Ross Brawn gone, I doubt he came from bananas. Potassium is an allowed element in the composition of modern F1 fuels. So let’s clear away unnecessary suspicions right away. It is true, however, that, despite having been detected in every exhaust, the substance is present in more massive quantities in the Ferrari tailpipes. Which, as we know, has a different and innovative combustion criterion on the current thermal engine (the V6).
The question of gasolines perhaps it has so far been underestimated. But the fact that Ferrari and Red Bull are competing for the win this year also has to do with the developments brought to the track by their respective ‘pump drivers’. Shell for Maranello and Mobil for Milton Keynes have apparently seized more opportunities than did, for example, the Petronas experts for Mercedes. With the result that the W13 of Hamilton and Russell, in addition to being clearly overweight due to ‘excess of prudence’ in the construction of certain components, such as the wing supports, is also penalized in terms of power by a less ‘advanced’ fuel. How much? We are probably talking about a dozen horses, which in any case, on some circuits, are worth a tenth and a half per lap. For this reason, I remain a bit skeptical about the possibility of seeing a three-man world sprint: the progress made so far by the James Allison heirs are genuine, but they do not touch, for manifest impossibility, some of the fundamental parameters.
And speaking of parameters, the discussion inevitably returns to Ferrari. Leclerc will make it (if you want, just say “o Sainz”) a take pole ‘at home’? I honestly think so, also given last year’s race. And to win the race? More difficult, and always glad to be wrong. But it seems that the difficulties encountered in some races by the F1-75 are due precisely to the setting parameters of the Power Unit. Let me explain: even after the freezing of the maps, the functionalities studied for the various components – heat engine, energy recovery, etc. – are certainly not the same in Munich, Baku, or Silverstone. Each track has its own characteristics: and from what we have seen so far, it seems that it is It is difficult to ‘calibrate’ the functional parameters of the Cavallino PU so that it is equally profitable and reliable everywhere. In short, a software problem rather than a structural deficiency. However, an interesting consideration: because once certain adjustments are in place (and no one assumes that it is easy) the Ferrari could loosen the muscles and stretch on the track, avoiding engine cramps. After all, this is what potassium is for.
#win #FormulaPassion.it