Andrea Stella sees Ferrari in form at Hockenheim

Back in favor after a complicated start to the season, Scuderia Ferrari has found a second wind. In this sense, Andrea Stella, Fernando Alonso’s race engineer, who compares the three champions he has worked with, asserts that it is the team’s mindset that has allowed for such a turnaround: « At the beginning of the season, one would have had to be extremely optimistic to envision such a situation. But in this sport, things can change quickly and we must always maintain a positive attitude. The current situation is the result of this attitude combined with a lot of hard work. »

A work in which the Italian sees two components: aerodynamics – particularly through sustained work around the exhausts – and the tires, without forgetting that the real challenge of the year is closing the gap in the field: « We have just adapted the car’s aerodynamic development, and the progress has also come from a better understanding of the tires. In fact, the tires have been a major challenge this year, just as much as optimizing aerodynamics, the latter due to regulatory changes in this area compared to last year. However, another important challenge we all face this year is not really technical, but is due to the fact that the performance level of many single-seaters is very tight. »

For the engineer, the F2012, in good form during the last two races despite being held on very different circuits, should be just as comfortable on the German track: « The car was good in Valencia, as well as in Silverstone. And since Hockenheim is a mix of the low speeds of Valencia and the high speeds of Silverstone, I expect Ferrari to be competitive in Germany. In the past, preserving its tires in Hockenheim was difficult, especially the front left, and we have sometimes seen blisters on the rear tires. This could therefore be an important point to watch this weekend. »

The Hockenheim circuit is a matter of compromise in terms of aerodynamics, and the Ferrari is not the most efficient at the end of the straight line: « You always want to maintain top speed since it reduces lap times and makes life easier during the race. But of course, better top speed comes at the expense of downforce, and in a way, if we are limited in terms of top speed, it’s partly because our car generates quite a bit of downforce. However, this is an area we are trying to improve for the future. »