Ferrari believes the powertrain upgrade they introduced in the last two races could prove crucial in their close battle for third place in the championship with McLaren.
Although McLaren had finished third for most of the season, Ferrari lost 10 points on the final lap, leaving the two teams just 7.5 points apart with six races to go.
Carlos Sainz Jr. received Ferrari’s power unit upgrade in the last race in Turkey, a race after his teammate. He said the win could help tip the balance against his former team.
“We were faster than McLaren” [at Istanbul]“Said Sainz. “In Sochi they were faster than us. So I still believe it will go up and down by the end of the year.
“What this engine should give us, I think, is the ability to be a little closer to them on the tracks we’ve covered – there will be a couple of tracks behind us – and on the tracks that we are ahead, to be. “to be perhaps a little further up.”
Ferrari has brought the upgrade forward to give it more time to prepare for the engine development freeze that will go into effect next year.
“This is what we’ve been looking for since the upgrade pushed forward and we hope it will give us a little edge to try and make the fight a little more complicated for them,” said Sainz. “We managed to drop 10 points, which is a pretty big drop for the points we’re fighting for. So if we keep fighting six races to go, anything can happen in my opinion. “
Team principal Mattia Binotto said Ferrari took a calculated risk when the upgrade was rolled out earlier than originally planned.
“The first goal is to try to increase our experience with a view to 2022,” said Binotto. “And that’s why we’re rolling it out as soon as possible, trying to speed up development and also taking a certain risk.
“But it’s all a risk assessment because for us it is of course the key to get the mileage on track and gain our own experience before 2022 when the engine will freeze. And that was really the key for us and the reason for it. “
The upgrade gives Ferrari a “small advantage,” said Binotto. “It depends on the route. It’s not just pure ICE [internal combustion engine] Power, it’s energy recovery, so it’s a bit complex.
“But it certainly gives us an advantage and as the drivers said when overtaking, if I look as good as qualifying with Charles, he was in qualifying on fourth lap, but when I look behind him I think it’s very close was. I’m pretty sure that without this specification a few positions would have been lost. “
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