The first day of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was without a doubt fierynot so much for the activity on the track as for the controversy over the alleged overrun of the Budget Cap by RedBull (and Aston Martin). On this subject, we refer to a dedicated analysis, as well as to those of the other excellent FormulaPassion opinion makers. Instead, trying to dedicate ourselves to track and what we saw in the two free sessions, we find one Ferrari absolutely fitone RedBull still to be developed it’s a Mercedes which appeared in the fight, but which, numbers in hand, could have spoiled his performance with a level of motor superior to the competition.
As already analyzed on other occasions, the Marina Bay route foresees many critical points from the point of view mechanic. The necessary load is undoubtedly the maximum, but the mechanical balance to be found is very delicate, especially with the 2022 cars. On the one hand it is necessary soften the suspension to find the best performance in curved lens of the city circuit, to “copy” the roughness in the best possible way uneven asphaltand to maximize the traction out of the infinite number of curves of this track. On the other hand, it is not possible to exaggerate with a “soft” set-up because the extensions, however significant even in number, can generate a high level of porpoisingin addition to the fact that with maximum downforce and soft suspension the cars come strongly compressed to the groundwith the risk of wear markedly the bottom. These are, of course, complications additional to a still delicate mechanical balance to be found in itself, and it is no coincidence that on this first day we saw all the teams take long breaks and change fundamental mechanical parametersfrom ground clearance, to stiffness to both the front and rear axles.
In this Ferrari arrived prepared with at least a couple of options ready (to note in this sense the radio team between Sainz and the wall that speaks of “modification we have already talked about” after a few minutes on the track). And after the various tests the balance found appeared fairly good, allowing the drivers to get out on the track and pusheven even for more laps on the soft tiresign of temperatures of the tires quieting under control. In contrast Max Verstappen and his RedBull appeared a step back in the run-up to the search for the best set-up. The balance of the RB18 number 1 put on the track after the changes compared to the first free practice session appeared good, but not a harbinger of the confidence that Verstappen needs to be able to really push hard, with a decrease between first and second free practices, compared to the Ferrari, a little in all three sectors. Let’s see the data of the comparison between Sainz and Verstappen.
First of all, the aerodynamic advantage for RedBull at the opening of the DRSwhich appeared clearly in the first session in all three dedicated zones, remained only in the first straight, but it has almost disappeared in the second and third areas where the use of the mobile wing is allowed. Load variations between the first and second sessions appeared minimumthe main impression is that Ferrari has improved hybrid handlingperhaps giving up something in the very first straight (leaving 1 tenth), but canceling the gaps in the second and third. Sainz’s F1-75 is confirmed as agile in slow corners, but above all effective in traction, with a better level of grip when exiting corners above 100 km / h. This is evident at Turn 7, Turn 17 and Turn 21, as well as a faster travel speed in the last corner. The sum of a greater load and an optimally tuned mechanics therefore give the redhead this initial advantage, even if the RedBull’s night work in all likelihood it will make the RB18 and Verstappen make a substantial leap forward. Only during the third free practice and qualifying will we have an idea if Horner’s team will be able to get back in front of Ferrari in absolute performance or if, this weekend, he will be forced into the role of pursuer. However, one aspect that is not secondary to the Maranello team must be emphasized. First of all it seems, at least in part, some of that has been rediscovered correlation which after the introduction of the TD039 seemed lost. The set-ups brought to the track on the F1-75 proved themselves in line with expectations at the factory, and it was a feature that had partially vanished in recent weekends, where engineers couldn’t find a reliable simulation model with the new restrictions introduced. But good work, in this case it is double: Ferrari has suffered a lot from the technical directive issued especially for missing many effective trim options. The fact of being able to make the car work well on a track where porpoising and wear of the bottom I am primary problems it also means having started to find solutions for the long term, with a set-up package that, for now, appears to work despite Marina Bay being one of the most critical tracks from this point of view. Too early to say if it will be enough for a win this weekend, but it is certainly a step that appears in the right direction. Behind the Ferraris, however, was placed the George Russell’s Mercedes. In this case, however, the data seem to affirm that the W13 has found a good balance, but at the same time has also pushed a lot on the Power Unit, with much higher draw performance than both Ferrari and RedBull, even in the pure acceleration areas, where aerodynamics therefore have a relative weight. We will see if, when the regimes for free thirds and qualifying are raised, all these impressions will be confirmed or if new balances will emerge.
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