Why is the Cavallino going crazy?

09/05/2020 Italy

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Charles Leclerc saw far by extinguishing any enthusiasm for the Italian GP: Ferrari is not competitive at Monza either. The panorama that emerges from the free practice sessions held at the Stradale is bleak, as at Spa, because the Monegasque finished on Friday ninth to 1’31 of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, while Sebastian Vettel is twelfth, three tenths behind your partner’s team.

The distance of the black arrows is astonishing, because the W11 in the face of the ban on “party mode” reveals a superiority that seems unassailable. But today the comparison should not be made with the Mercedes that are from another planet, but with all the others.

And the balance of the day is tears, because the red team closes as sixth force in the field, knowing very well that Daniel Ricciardo’s Renault would also have been in front on the fastest lap if the Australian had not seen his qualifying simulation canceled by the commissioners. , so he had to settle for the time obtained with the stockings. Otherwise, only the two client teams (Haas and Alfa Romeo) and Williams would be behind the Red.

Although in reality the gap with Mercedes rivals is small: Lando Norris third with McLaren is just over four tenths and Max Verstappen, fifth with Red Bull, is three tenths. A hole that the Scuderia could close as it usually does after a difficult first day, with the usual night work.

The hope would be to bring two Reds to Q3, but the reality is not at all easy because McLaren, AlphaTauri, Red Bull and Racing Point are in front as well as the black arrows. And it was enough to watch Leclerc and Vettel drive to understand that the two drivers have to struggle with a car that doesn’t want to know if it is on the track with a very low downforce setting.

The SF1000 is unmanageable: Sebastian Vettel went to “kiss” the guards with the rear wing after a spin between the two corners of Lesmo while doing his long run. And Charles Leclerc was a little better, he did the “sandblasting” in the same place, avoiding losing the car.

But if it is possible to put together a lap (the young Monegasque does not have much confidence in entering Q3), the outlook does not look very encouraging in the race pace. With a full tank the Rossa suffers. So it’s not just about the missing engine power (50 less horsepower is already established) and not even about the lack of downforce (at Monza it is not necessary, it is better to have good efficiency): obviously there is something else as well.

That is, the hydraulically operated rear suspension does not work as it should. To have a good balance it would be necessary to have a repeatable rake adjustment lap after lap. The car lunged around corners and clung to the asphalt in a straight line to reduce drag. But if the suspension is not working properly, the car has unpredictable reactions that affect both the drivability of drivers and the durability of the tires.

Ultimately, the hydraulic system does not respond as technicians would expect: the opening and closing of the gas holes must be done on a scheduled basis. And instead, it seems that this solution has been deliberated taking into account a power unit capable of pushing Red with those 50 more horses that have disappeared by the technical directives of the FIA. And without enough oomph and without the necessary downforce, the Ferrari becomes a runaway Cavallino. Like in Spa …