Ferrari have been on the right track this year, with that form peaking at Monaco, where they secured their first pole in more than a year and finished second to Carlos Sainz in the race. But they expect tougher times, starting with this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to their race director Laurent Mekies.
The Monte Carlo result could have been even better had Charles Leclerc not started from pole due to a crack in his Ferrari’s driveshaft hub, but this boost in performance came at a track with very unusual characteristics.
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While Baku is also a street circuit, the Azerbaijani venue is significantly faster and features a huge 1.4-mile straight where the cars will reach speeds in excess of 230mph, creating conditions where the SF21 is much more difficult times will have.
It is understood that some pre-race simulations suggest Ferrari will drop to fourth place behind P3 rivals McLaren and in a very close battle with Alpine, Aston Martin and Mercedes and Red Bull’s AlphaTauri leading the weekend will make this a much more complicated affair for the Scuderia.
“Our main goal will be to exploit all available potential and try to make the most of every opportunity,” said Mekies
“Now begins a part of the season that promises to be complicated for us,” said Mekies. “If the SF21 was clearly the third best in the field in Spain and even showed potential to win in Monaco, things will look different in the next races, starting with Baku.
“Already this weekend [in Baku] We are expecting a very strong McLaren that should adapt very well to the characteristics of the track and thus take the lead in the group behind the two teams fighting for the World Championship. We also believe that Alpine, AlphaTauri and Aston Martin will also be very competitive.
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“Our main goal will be to exploit all available potential and try to make the most of every opportunity. To use a football metaphor, we’re going to try to build up a good defense and score on the counterattack.”
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Ferrari moved up two points from McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship after the Monaco result.
While it’s clear they’ll be tougher on Baku, the fact that they think fourth in the pecking order would be a bad weekend just goes to show how far they’ve come from last season’s painful season.
Ferrari continues to push the development of this car and it is understood that small packages of upgrades will be introduced at some races before the summer break when they turn their full attention to the 2022 car.
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