Ferrari losing 0.7 seconds per lap in F1 power unit performance
Mattia Binotto believes it will be "very difficult" for Ferrari to rectify its straightline speed disadvantage this Formula 1 season after losing 0.7 seconds per lap to Mercedes in Austria
Ferrari endured a disastrous qualifying at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday as Charles Leclerc qualified almost one second off the pace in seventh, one year on from taking pole position at the same circuit.
Leclerc was able to battle through to second in an eventful race on Sunday despite spending much of the race stuck in the midfield fight, while team-mate Sebastian Vettel ailed to 10th after a clash with Carlos Sainz Jr, having failed to reach Q3 the previous day.
After widely being recognised for having the best power unit through 2019, Ferrari appeared to take a dramatic backward step for 2020, with all three Ferrari-powered teams suffering a big drop in pace compared to last year in Austria.
The setback comes following a private settlement between the FIA and Ferrari over its power unit in 2019 amid recurring questions over its legality.
Speaking after the race in Austria, Ferrari team principal Binotto said that while a significant update package for the SF1000 car was planned for Hungary in two weeks' time, there was no easy fix for the issues.
"We need to improve our car, as there are some miscorrelations with the design, the car behaviour, especially on the aero," Binotto said.
"That's a development we have started again, coming back from the lockdown, and hopefully we have very soon at the race track.
"It will not be the final solution, as there is no silver bullet. What's important for us is to improve those type of behaviours."
Binotto addressed the one-second gap between Leclerc and Mercedes pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas in qualifying, believing seven-tenths of that was down to the power unit alone.
"If I looked at yesterday's qualy, compared to the pole, we are missing a second," Binotto said.
"Of the second, three-tenths in cornering, in what I was just speaking about. But then there is still seven-tenths on the power unit on the straights.
"I think that one will be very much difficult, because the engine is frozen for the season.
"The speed on the straights, that is [also] about the drag, and drag is not something we are addressing very soon.
"So I think a bit of disappointment from yesterday, a bit of disappointment to see our speed on the straight.
"But let's analyse all the data and let's see what we can do for the future."
In further proof of Ferrari's backward step year-on-year, Leclerc's time in Q3 was nine-tenths of a second slower than his pole lap in Austria from 2019.
Asked how it was possible to have lost so much time in 12 months, Binotto said he preferred to focus on the comparisons to Ferrari's immediate rivals.
"Honestly I'm not too worried looking at last year," Binotto said.
"I think the comparison should not be to last year, but compared to our competitors.
"Now we are focused on our relative competitiveness to our competitors, looking at the qualy lap and the result today, and try to address the issues of our cars."
Horner suggests Hamilton needs to change F1 approach after Albon clash
Autosport Podcast: F1 Austrian Grand Prix review
Las Vegas approves plan to shut Strip for F1 race until 2032
Officials in Las Vegas have approved a plan to shut the Strip for the Formula 1 grand prix for the next 10 years as they eye a “lifetime in partnership.”
Porsche boss “as surprised as anyone” over Gulf-Williams F1 social media frenzy
Porsche’s head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach found it “funny” that streamlining its Instagram channels caused a Formula 1 social media speculation frenzy last month.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.