Sebastian Vettel’s failure to reach Q3 in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix was the most obvious sign of how much Ferrari is struggling this weekend.
But it is not just the factory team that is having problems. The three Ferrari-powered cars are slower on this circuit than they were 12 months ago, between 0.6 and 1.1 seconds.
Charles Leclerc took pole position for this race last year with a quick lap of 1’03.003. This year it was the only Ferrari-powered car in Q3, and its fastest time of 1’03,923 was the best part of a second slowdown.
Both Ferrari customers also had a bad afternoon. Alfa Romeo put their two cars in Q3 12 months ago, this year they were the slowest team of all, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi were outplayed by George Russell Williams.
One of the Haas-Ferraris also started in Q1. The other, driven by Romain Grosjean, went to Q2, did not advance any further and finished six tenths of a second from his best 2019.
The difficulties suffered by the three teams powered by Ferrari suggest that the team has lost ground to its rivals in the development of power units. Ferrari’s V6 hybrid turbo was closely scrutinized by the FIA last year, resulting in a private agreement between the two that led to the introduction of new rules governing how teams can operate their power units.
Before the race weekend began, Ferrari admitted that its SF1000 is not as competitive as last year’s car. Yesterday, drivers described several deficiencies in handling and grip on their new car, and much has been said about its ‘endurance’ qualities. But the results of the first qualifying session of the year suggest that the power unit is also part of their problem.
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2020 Austrian Grand Prix
See all the articles of the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix
