An annoying performance at the French Grand Prix caused by tire wear issues forced Ferrari to do a thorough analysis of their car – with team principal Mattia Binotto being pleased that a subsequent decision to shift the balance of their car had helped resolve the problem, even if it had slightly affected the team’s qualifying performance.
After two surprising pole positions in previous races in Monaco and Baku, Ferrari’s French Grand Prix was sobering as Carlos Sainz finished 11th and Charles Leclerc finished 16th in their car’s performance.
READ MORE: According to Binotto, Ferrari has halved the qualifying deficit and greatly increased the pit stop consistency
“What happened in France, we had a very high level of tire wear, grain and then a lot of wear in the front left,” explained Binotto. “In Maranello we tried to do the homework exercise ‘Do we have a problem with our car, in relation to the concept’, which as a consequence leads back to tire wear.
“Because if we look not only at France, but also at all of the past races shortly before France, we were on average the most heavily loaded at the front compared to the entire starting grid. So it wasn’t a single issue in France, but in most of the races we carried a lot up front. “
Leclerc fought his way to 16th place in France
While doing a thorough analysis of the Ferrari simulator in Maranello, the team tried to find out if a fundamental design flaw on the Ferrari SF21 was causing the excessive grain or if it was an issue that setup changes could fix – with Binotto happy that the Changes made by the team in the course of their research had made the issue of front tire wear less “critical”.
“I think what we figured out is that it’s very easy in the end … when you wear it’s because you slide, so easy,” said Binotto. “And when you slide there are reasons you can slide, and those reasons can be easy to set up. You can perfect the rear of the car when braking, have good rear stability, but an understeering car.
READ MORE: Sainz Says Ferrari’s Tire Repair After The French GP “One Of The Most Impressive Things I’ve Seen As A Racing Driver”
“But we postponed our set-up in the following races, tried to have more balance in terms of, say, understeer to oversteer, tried to slip less on the front lines and manage the tires in that regard, and me think whatever happens. ”We’ve been going in that direction has proven to be the right direction to deal with tire wear.
Leclerc fought for victory at Silverstone
“In Austria and definitely in Great Britain [at Silverstone, where Leclerc challenged for victory]And even after the situation in Hungary we showed that we were able to achieve an improvement in front tire wear in the last few races, and today it doesn’t seem to be as critical as it was in France. “
However, Binotto admitted that Ferrari had been forced to sacrifice a minimum of pace for a lap to make sure its tires hold up better during the race, stating, “I think we may have made slight compromises.” [the one-lap pace] but not much.
READ MORE: Ferrari boss Binotto rates Mick Schumacher’s progress in F1’s first year against pre-season goals
“I think it’s up to the riders to adapt to a different kind of setup, too, from what they’re doing. I think it is we ourselves who are learning to use a different kind of balance. But I think it’s also really the race preparation that was very important for Silverstone.
“But there is a learning curve, including this one, and that is of course a key element when you have front tire wear. That doesn’t mean you have to check the way you approach your setup on every track. “
Ferrari is currently in third place in the constructors’ championship, tied with McLaren at 163 points, while Formula 1 is back at the start after the summer break in Spa-Francorchamps, where the Belgian Grand Prix will be held this weekend.
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