Carlos Sainz has explained how the desire to temper bouncing at high speed is behind Ferrari reverting to an earlier-specification car at Formula 1’s British Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s emergence as Red Bull’s main challenger has dissipated since the team triumphed in Monaco as upgrades in Spain have delivered unintended complications.
Sainz has reiterated on multiple occasions since that the fast-tracked developments have triggered bouncing in high-speed corners to cancel out the gains elsewhere.
The Italian squad’s regression prompted Sainz’s car to have the latest updates removed at Silverstone, while Charles Leclerc used the newer package in FP1 and FP2.
Ferrari’s cross-comparison through the earlier practice sessions saw Leclerc replicate his team-mate, but the Monegasque succumbed to a premature Q2 elimination.
But while Sainz advanced through to Q3, the Spaniard was unable to eclipse Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas as he qualified in seventh place to compound a miserable outing.
“No surprise really given our struggles recently in high-speed tracks coming to the king of the high speed like Silverstone,” Sainz assessed.
“So it was always going to be a difficult weekend.”
Sainz detailed that Ferrari’s backtracking on parts wasn’t designed to bring a competitive edge but rather to enhance the drivers’ confidence in the high-speed corners.
“It hasn’t given us any extra performance, it’s just given us a little bit more consistency in the high-speed given we have a bit less bouncing on that floor,” he expanded.
“We need to make the car as consistent or predictable as possible in the high speed knowing that we’re not going forwards or backwards, we’re just making the car a bit more consistent.”
Asked whether bouncing remained an issue with the new package, Sainz replied: Yes, like this.
“From the beginning of the year, we already had a bit of bouncing so, it is still an intrinsic weakness.
“But the new one was clearly worse than the old one on Silverstone, I would say.”
Sainz has underlined that Ferrari understands how it can overcome its recent plight, but he has acknowledged that resolving the problems presents another situation.
“I think the direction is clear, it’s whether we are capable of delivering it on track and giving us what we need,” he added.
The outgoing Ferrari driver is optimistic that the improvement the Maranello-based squad has made since last season proves it can recover from this latest setback.
Pressed on whether Ferrari was capable of returning to its earlier-season competitiveness, Sainz answered: “I think so, we proved it last year.
“We developed very well through the year, we proved it again during the winter that we made this car clearly more consistent and better.
“But for sure, the recent steps haven’t been what we expected.”
However, Sainz has accepted that Ferrari will have to experience more short-term pain and doesn’t think a potential wet race at Silverstone will boost its prospects.
“Right now, I think we’re more or less the same in wet and dry,” he concluded.
