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To better understand the dimensions of the Ferrari debacle, it is worth taking a look at the past.
Spa-Francorchamps, September 1, 2019: Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel start the Belgian Grand Prix from the front row after a show of strength in qualifying the day before. In the end, Monegasse wins his first Formula 1 race. Even the truly superior Mercedes unit was not up to par with the Ferrari engine.
Vettel: “Knowledge is not positive”
Almost a year later, the same drivers in their red vehicles had more cancer than the right one on the asphalt of the Ardennes roller coaster, and Vettel relented. Heaven Serene on the record: “There is a realization. But it is not positive. Today has revealed our weaknesses.”
And there were quite a few of them this late summer Sunday at Spa. The aerodynamics are inefficient, the balance is poor and, most obviously, the engine too weak. Compared to the competition, the Ferraris were already losing from the start, losing 0.5 seconds per lap down the straight – half an eternity in Formula 1. The result at the end: Vettel 13th, Leclerc one place behind.
As much as the results differ from the previous year, the underground performance in 2020 is due in some way to the strong 2019 result.
All about Formula 1 and motorsports weekend at AvD Motorsport Magazin with Sophia Flörsch and Monisha Kaltenborn on Monday at 9.45pm and weekly on TV on SPORT1 and LIVESTREAM
Rivals smell Ferrari tricks
Because at that time the competition already sensed deception by the Scuderia, although the world automobile association was only activated two months later. After the United States Grand Prix, the FIA issued several technical instructions designed to prevent exactly what the rivals accused the Italians of.
The world automobile association established new rules for oil consumption, more closely checked the elasticity of gasoline lines and introduced a second sensor that teams did not have access to.
All these measures could be understood as responses to the accusations against the Italians. Red Bull, in particular, repeatedly accused Ferrari of gaining an engine performance advantage by injecting more gasoline than allowed.
The result: Ferrari was already slower in the final races of last season and in testing this season.
FIA with a nebulous statement
The Formula 1 teams only discovered the reason for this shortly before test drives were completed in February. At the time, a public statement from the world association stated bluntly: “The FIA has announced that, after a thorough technical investigation, it has completed its analysis of the performance of Ferrari’s power unit and has reached an agreement with the equipment”.
The parties agreed not to disclose the details of the deal. Everyone in the industry knew what this deal meant: Ferrari avoided a fine for cheating the engine, but had to build a completely new engine in winter.
Even then, according to a report by car, motor and sport Measurements show that the new engine has significantly less power than the old one.
Vettel and Leclerc will feel the consequences this season, especially on high-speed tracks like Spa.
Vettel spoke boldly of the fact that he “should get a little better” soon. But realistically speaking, there is little hope for this. Formula 1 will visit Monza this weekend. Until now, most of the speed records in the premier class have been set there.
