Ferrari will not bring any developments before Hungary

The season kicks off F1 2020 this weekend in Austria will be an opportunity for many teams to make more or less major modifications to their car, compared to the car put on the track during winter testing in Barcelona last February.

Renault or even Mercedes for the teams, and Honda on the side of the engine manufacturers, have all already announced a salvo of evolution, something that the Team Ferrari.

The Maranello team has opted to only modify its SF1000 from the Hungarian Grand Prix (July 19), therefore leaving Charles Leclerc et Sebastian Vettel with a single-seater in “Barcelona” configuration for the first two races of the year, both contested on the Red Bull ring.

“This does not mean that we twiddled our thumbs during the short time, only five and a half weeks, during which we were able to work on the cars, due to the rigorous procedures for the management of the pandemic as well as in the face of the total cessation of activities required by the FIA ​​in agreement with the teams, explains Mattia Binotto, head of Ferrari Sports Management.

The truth is that the results of the tests led us to take a significant turn in terms of development, particularly on the aerodynamic aspect. First, we had to understand why we weren't seeing the results we expected on track and how to recalibrate the entire program as a result.

It would have been counterproductive to continue in the planned direction, knowing that we would not have achieved our objectives. Therefore, we decided to offer a new program that reviewed the entire car, knowing that everything would not be ready for the first race.

Our goal is to present the updates during the third race on July 19 at the Hungaroring. Apart from that, beyond the development of the car itself in recent weeks, we have worked a lot on the analysis of its behavior, with simulation work and with the help of our drivers and I think that this will prove itself in Austria. »

Mattia Binotto is also very cautious about the position of Scuderia Ferrari in the hierarchy expected in the top 3 before the Austrian kick-off. “We know that, at the moment, we do not have the fastest package, confesses the Italian manager. We knew this before we went to Melbourne and it hasn't changed.

That said, the Spielberg circuit has different characteristics from Montmelo and the temperatures will be much higher than in February. In Austria we must try to make the most of every opportunity, then in Hungary, with the new stage of development we are working on, we will be able to see where we really are compared to others, while taking into account the developments that our competitors themselves will have brought. »

Ferrari showed its advantage last year in Austria, with Charles Leclerc playing for victory against Ferrari until the final moments of the race. Max Verstappen (Red Bull). Note that the SF1000 will display the hashtag #ForzaAlex this weekend in support of Alessandro Zanardi, still hospitalized in serious condition in Italy after his accident on June 19.