Jock Clear, Ferrari technical manager, acknowledges that the Scuderia’s best engineers do not have the key to understanding the enormous volatility of performance that some teams and cars are experiencing from one race to another.
The regulations that Formula 1 debuts this season have been designed so that the ground effect has a greater role in the new cars. Although engineers and aerodynamicists know perfectly the secrets of this aerodynamic phenomenon, the truth is that car development is still in its infancy and there are many avenues to explore.
At least this is the feeling that reigns among the teams, although with a huge nuance that baffles everyone. Although in general terms the ‘status quo’ of the grid can be established from the performance of each single-seater, the new generation of single-seaters is prone to sudden changes in the level of each car. A volatility that the teams fail to understand or tackle.
“We don’t know all the answers and we still don’t understand exactly what happened in Spa, for example”
There are not a few examples of teams that have performed well below expectations in a Grand Prix and then to be a level above what they had anticipated in other circuits, even when the aerodynamic configuration and the demands of the track are not very different. Ferrari is no exception and to show its discreet performance in Spa and its good level in Monza. Two tracks that require little downforce and good efficiency.
Jock Cleartechnical manager at Ferrari, has had no problem acknowledging that even the best engineers at the Scuderia do not have a clear explanation and concise of the reasons that cause these sudden changes in performance between these new generation single-seaters. Definitely, in Ferrari they do not know the reason for their poor performance in Spa and his good level in Monza.
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unexplained changes
“Honestly, if we really knew the reasons for this, we would have a golden bullet,” he assured. Jock Clear without complex. The Ferrari technician added that “it is really difficult to solve these things. You talk to teams that are finding a really good performance in a race and you talk to teams that fell back for no reason. There is a real mystery to unravel all this».
“It is clear that the work is not so simple and it is that’s why it’s so intriguing to everyone, from the media to ourselves. We don’t know all the answers and we still don’t understand exactly what happened at Spa, for example. We have some ideas and we are acting on thembut it’s not clear yet,” added Clear.
homework to do
Clear acknowledges that there is still a lot of work to be done: “It may turn out that later this year we will discover a few more things. We are continually learning. None of us knows all the details. There are many areas where you have to make almost your best guess».
However, the person in charge of Ferrari does not attribute this volatility to the complexity of the cars but to their youth: «I think it’s all because the cars are very new. There is always a learning curve with a new development and we are all there. Maybe we come into the start of the season understanding everything a bit better, but there is the performance aspect of the car and its understanding. Everything comes together at different rates and at different times on each team».
Font: motorsport.com
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Photos: Scuderia Ferrari