Ferrari insists on keeping current front wing design
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto does not think the team should reconsider its front wing design, even though rivals Mercedes are currently dominating Formula 1 with their different, more downforce-heavy approach to the front wing.
The massive front wings were one of the changes for the 2019 F1 season in an attempt to reduce 'dirty air' behind cars, making following and therefore overtaking easier.
Ferrari and Mercedes have both interpreted the wing in a different way heading into the season, with the Italian team accommodating more aero efficiency rather than downforce. The Germans' approach has looked the better one, as they have finished all five races with one-two finishes so far, a feat that has never been accomplished in F1 history. However, Binotto insists Ferrari's approach is still the right one.
"I think we do not need to change our front wing," he told Autosport when asked about the issue.
"Simply it is a different concept to Mercedes, but it doesn't mean that we have achieved the maximum of its concept today. We are not foreseeing to change the wing concept.
"The Mercedes style was checked at the start of our project so it is a comparison that we did at the start which was for one way of development.
"Certainly through the season you always try to double check back what you did to see if it was the right choice, but we do not foresee a change right now."
What Binotto points out as the main flaw in Ferrari's SF90 car is the tyres, and in particular the softer compounds, as they cannot seem to get them in the right window.
"What we are lacking is grip from the tyres because we are not able to make them work properly.