possibly ... I seem to remember McLaren were ahead of Ferrari much of last year... but I get that each car may have a different feel... but assuredly the 2018 car ( with the illegal fuel flow is not representative of what was last years car.... brakes? ok, but how much different are they from those of Mclaren? much of that is frozen in the rules 5-8g lateral braking is the same feel in any car.... stuff like throttle map, and pedal mapping / shape may be something that is learned, but other than PR I don't see what this does... I guess he can try out different seats to feel comfortable ... I don't know that there is much "feel" in these cars... its more like confidence that the car can make it through a corner vs. the feel in the seat of the pants... but I supposed there is some "feeling" on what the car is doing... just don't know how much that translates between 4 year old cars...to modern.
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During testing, whether what Ferrari is doing currently OR a filming test OR Pirelli test, you can test components for next year.....just not the complete package. You can swap out as many components as you like during these testing practices without being penalized. It's no different than testing a mule car with next year components.
really- so you could test a new engine? i thought that was verboten? .... but lets hope Ferrari is using this time to be competitive. I'm all for the unfair advantage...
If the new engine mounts to the same brackets, it is no problemo. But the transmission needs to have the same suspension pickup points, too.
They’re probably full speed ahead just getting the new car ready let alone updating a 2-year old car with not just the engine but all it’s modified engine externals and accessories, revised bodywork, etc. Just not likely or feasible.
The engine mounts are the same not just for all Ferrari engines, but for all manufacturers, it's mandatory to help teams make the transition from one supplier to another. But still they have to redo the cooling and many more things. Ask McLaren for more info.
Binotto concedes Ferrari will not win races this season http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/755684/Binotto_concedes_Ferrari_will_not_win_races_this_season/ Intox or brutal realism ?
PU combined with aero changes yield his rational view. Podium consistency would be a victory in the larger scheme. He is realistic overall I think. He also knows until testing it would be good to carry this attitude. Not lead things down a rose path that only has thorns possibly. Cost cap limitations as well could impact.
I think his realism is born of the fact they were too far back last year and had not planned on much effort on the car—relying on the engine to get them through the year—while planning on the new rules for 2021. Covid and the TDs hit, and the rest is history. He mentioned that if they had the normal liberty of engine upgrades they would not have been the worst engine so probably already had changed worth 25 or 30 hp but couldn’t implement them.
F1 rules are just too strict and extensive to expect huge leaps forward, especially after several years of development. Only a move like McLaren going from Renault to Mercedes has the potential to have a big impact on performance. I expect to see Macca increase its lead over Ferrari this year.
Come on, guys, let´s get real: Ferrari was 6th, closer to 7th than to 5th. Do you really think that a team that is 6th one year can win a race the next? (unless it´s the occasional random win that happens from time to time). Patience. The real success is not winning but living many years.
I think people are underestimating the goodness of the Renault engine—look at the jump the factory team made last year—so the Merc, while better than the Renault may not be such a leap forward, especially since McL will need to adapt car and settings to the new engine. As an example of the relative strength of the Merc, there certainly wasn’t the advantage at Williams they had when the Merc was head and shoulders above the rest. The biggest gain for McL will be having Ricciardo on board. He’s going to be a big addition to their performance.
Andeas Seidl has turned Mclaren around. Ricciardo is definitely a plus for the team. It's gonna be intersting between Ricciardo and Norris.
Well said about Seidl. Now Mclaren are one of the best managed teams on the grid with Seidl and Zak. I hope for the most success for them now. They did well with Renault last year yes. They gained the most of that PU/package.
Agreed. Seidl was team principal for the Porsche LMP1 program. Mercedes PU definitely a plus along with Ricciardo. I hope Ricciardo and Max fight against each other once again....cleanly.
They will have no problem achieving that; they have been in F1 since 1950 !! But I would have thought that Ferrari had a more ambitious program than just participating.