Drivers, single-seater, regulations, Ferrari presents the outlook for 2020
On the sidelines of the 2020 single-seater presentation, Mattia Binotto spoke about the Italian team's prospects for the upcoming season. His driver duo, the suspicions of fuel flow irregularities, the directions in the development of the single-seater, the Scuderia Ferrari director reveals everything.
Priority on support in slow turns
The 2019 season was full of lessons for Ferrari on several aspects of the competition, particularly in balancing top speed and the car’s cornering behavior. The Italian team’s car often stood out with good straight-line performance, but this advantage diminished during sequences of slow corners.
For the 2020 season, Ferrari says it is ready to trade a few thousandths of a second in straight lines for good handling and maneuverability on slower tracks. Binotto reminds that the new livery will be more efficient in terms of downforce, but the balance between downforce and low drag will be better understood during testing in Barcelona.
If Charles Leclerc, the rising star of the Reds, was unanimously supported for his contract renewal, as his progress impressed both internally and with the Italian public, things were not as straightforward for the German driver.
In December 2019 in Abu Dhabi, Lewis’s statements hinting at a possible end of contract with Mercedes and a possible transfer to Ferrari had the effect of a bomb in the paddock. It will not be the case. A month before the start of the 2020 season, Mattia Binotto recalled that the priority for the Ferrari team was to retain their driver Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 season. Certainly, no contract has been signed at the moment, but both parties are reassuring about the continuation of the collaboration.
End of the controversy surrounding the fuel flow of the Ferrari engine
Max Verstappen’s words, calling Ferrari a team of cheaters, are still hard to swallow. If the Maranello team is about to celebrate its 1000th race, it’s because its history and impact on the top-tier motorsport competition are just as significant as its sporting performances. The presentation of the SF1000 was an opportunity for the team to showcase advancements on the power unit and compliance with regulations.
The Italian firm will this year resort to a redesign of the combustion chamber and the mode of operation of the pistons to maintain engine power while complying with the regulation requiring a double fuel flow sensor in the power unit.
