Ferrari's Barcelona Kit Tested at Hungaroring

Ferrari contemplates deploying its Barcelona setup in Hungary, aiming to navigate the challenging hairpin turns with minimal disruption.

Carlos Sainz was pleased to find a healthy and predictable car at Silverstone. The issue, however, is that the Ferrari SF-24 was equipped with the Imola upgrade package, which performs better but is also considerably slower, especially against rivals who have introduced many recent updates.

“We’ve essentially been in the same car since Imola. And since Imola, everyone has improved their cars and probably added a few tenths to their performance, while we had to go back,” Sainz admits.

“I feel that here, we’ve returned to the basics, to a car that performed well in Imola, and we just need to improve from there. Unfortunately, it’s clear that our rivals are significantly ahead of us.”

“This is the situation we’re in. I am confident that the team will make the right choices from track to track until a more solid set, which does not bounce at high speeds and is good at low speeds, arrives, and then we will start to think about competing again with the top three teams.”

The problem with the Barcelona upgrades is a return of the bouncing in fast corners. Therefore, it’s possible that Ferrari might test it in Budapest in two weeks, as the car will be less prone to fast turns.

“This means we will bounce in turns 4 and 11, but nothing better will come by then. We may have to accommodate the bounce for low-speed performance, while on high-speed tracks, we might need to roll out the floor from the old system if the other is not viable.”

Nonetheless, the Spaniard draws a positive conclusion from his race in Britain, where he performed well in changing conditions: “I am particularly satisfied with the race, because even though we were not fast enough in the dry or wet, we made good pit stop choices.”

“Mid-race, when there were slick tires on a wet track, I managed to catch up to podium places by six or seven seconds under conditions I always enjoy. We fought for the podium, but unfortunately, as soon as the track became completely dry or wet, we were not fast enough.”