The long-awaited first day of testing of the new technical cycle has come to an end, allowing us to summarize the very first and momentary indications that emerged from the opening day at the Circuit de Catalunya. As always, some premises are required on the interpretation of the test sessions, in particular on the poor representativeness of the times rankings. You could spend whole pages on the reasons for the lack of reliability of the chronometric measurements, but to simplify everything, just think that the best time of the day set by Norris is about three seconds higher than last season’s pole position. According to what leaked from the teams in recent months, the 2022 single-seaters should instead settle on the times of the previous generation, with the most pessimistic forecasts that estimate lap measurements at most two seconds higher than in 2021. At present, therefore, the cars are still far from their real maximum potential, nor was it the intention of the teams to go in search of the limit, to which more attention will be paid instead in Bahrain. The work programs carried out by the stables are certainly more indicative. In fact, almost all the teams performed short stints at low speed with the most invasive aerodynamic instruments, and then almost immediately dedicated themselves to other tests with the cars free from the racks. With this in mind, it is positive for Ferrari supporters to find that the Scuderia di Maranello did not spend too much time compared to the competition to carry out comparative tests at constant speed. It is a sign that in Maranello the correlation between the data of the virtual simulations, the wind tunnel and the track is good and does not require further checks, contrary to what happened in the past. The aerodynamic behavior of the F1-75 therefore corresponds to the expectations of the teamoutlining a good starting point to work on, in stark contrast to the correlation problems that in past seasons immediately put the Maranello Scuderia behind in development programs compared to the other teams.
Further indications come from the observation of the cars on the track, a practice that in turn requires various premises. In fact, the cars raced on the track with different set-ups and fuel loads, to which is added the unknown of how far each driver was actually looking for the limit and was far from it. For these reasons, the observations from the edge of the track during the tests provide extremely random indications, but nevertheless useful for tracing the first outlines of the collective picture. It should also be added that the competitiveness of each car is the result of the overall goodness of the project in the various aspects of performance: top speed, aerodynamic behavior in high-mileage corners, mechanical grip, agility in slow motion, reactivity, precision and stability. Observation from the edge of the track in a single point of the track therefore does not allow to have the overall picture of a single-seater available, but to evaluate only its behavior in a specific section. The observation point chosen by the writer for the afternoon session was the third sectorhistorically a medium-low mileage section where the mechanical grip and traction qualities of the car emerge, areas in which, for example, the Ferrari of 2021 was among the most effective, however, accusing a gap from the best in the class in the overall lap balance .
The very first sensations are those of McLaren and Red Bull among the cars most at ease in the third sector technician. Both cars proved capable of going extremely early on the gas as soon as they passed the apex of La Caixa (turn 11), staying close to the internal curb to better set the Banc Sabadell (turn 12) from the outside. The response of the two single-seaters was also excellent in the calls and changes of direction of curves 13, 14, 15, while exiting the last chicane both cars showed great stability of the rear during traction.
In the third sector, the F1-75, on the other hand, was watched by Charles Leclerc, who came by bike to the side of the track accompanied by Marc Gené to study the various single-seaters. Visually the Red is on the same level as McLaren and Red Bull, in particular in the climb from Caixa to Banc Sabadell and in the changes of direction, with some differences, however, in the crossing of the last stretch. In fact, the Ferrari turns out to be an extremely rigid car in its mechanical set-up, so much so as to bounce conspicuously in the passage on the red-white curbs, without even touching the internal yellow bump, where instead other cars have shown to better digest irregularities. All this slightly destabilizes the Rossa, compromising its traction when exiting the chicane, but the great stiffness of the Ferrari does not necessarily represent a negative aspect. In fact, during the presentation, Enrico Cardile underlined how the F1-75 is a car that requires a rigid set-up to exalt itself, so as to stabilize the aerodynamic platform to allow it to work at better efficiency in a wider range of driving conditions. . The difficulties on the red curbs could therefore be countered by a gain in the high-speed corners where the aerodynamic qualities of the single-seater stand out. Furthermore, it should not be overlooked that the teams have just begun to study how to best balance the mechanical set-up with the desired aerodynamic behavior.
In comparison with McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari, Mercedes does not appear as irresistible in the third sector, even though it ranks among the best. The impression is that, at present, the W13 is a car pointed forward and precise with the front, which is contrasted by a swinging rear. In fact, in the long traction phase coming out of turn 11, Hamilton has had to struggle several times with an unstable rear end, in some cases even aborting the lap even after two excellent first sectors. The difficulties of the Silver Arrow in traction are highlighted by the sound of the engine, which reveals a slow and erratic delivery, betraying the modulation of the driver on the accelerator pedal. However, at the end of the session, Mercedes appeared to have improved in terms of rear stability, noting how the teams are still understanding what the right set-ups are and how rapidly evolving everything is. Williams and Alfa Romeo also gave good signals in the low-speed driven curves, while more in difficulty appeared Alpine and Aston Martin. The Anglo-French car tended to accelerate later than the apex of La Caixa, staying wide off the curb and compromising the Banc Sabadell setting. However, all the teams are destined to progress rapidly in understanding and therefore in defining the assets, which is why the current picture may not correspond to what will emerge in a month.
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