Ferrari slumped in 2020 to its worst season in 40 years in 2020, when the team struggled with both a dragging car and a poorly performing engine, making its straight-line speed a particular weakness.
The team worked hard over the winter to resolve the issues. A brand new engine was developed ahead of the 2021 season to make up for the deficit.
Ferrari F1 boss Binotto reported last month that initial data from the new engine’s dyno runs were encouraging but wanted to reserve judgment until it was put to use on the track.
After the first two and a half days of pre-season testing in Bahrain this week, Binotto said Ferrari could see a significant increase in its straight-line speed compared to last year.
“We know how the engine runs on the test bench, [but] If you mount it on the car, you might see the speed on the track and eventually the relative speed to the others, “Binotto said when asked about Ferrari’s engine gains by Autosport.
“When we were here in Bahrain last year for the Qualy race, we were really slow here on the straights. We didn’t enter the third quarter and we were very far from pole.
“When I look at the data now, I at least think of the speed, on the straight, the speed is okay. There doesn’t seem to be any disadvantage like last year.
“We know it’s not just performance, it’s also the strain on the car, as we said many times last year. But let me say that [fixing] both helped improve our speed on the straights.
“Today we have the feeling that it is no longer a disadvantage.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc felt the SF21 car had “promising signs” after its first runs earlier this week, while Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen also noted an improvement in the Ferrari customer engine he was using.
Ferrari focused on developing the rear of the car under the frozen regulations for 2021, with Binotto reporting that the initial data correlated well with what the team expected from their own simulations.
“We tried to develop as much as possible on the back of the car,” said Binotto.
“I think what was more important for us is to understand the correlation with the wind tunnel and the simulations, that is, to collect and compare data.
“We are pretty happy with the correlation, which means that we have at least a good basis for the next simulations or possible developments.
“Correlation was a key factor back then. So far, at least, it’s looking pretty good.”
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