Binotto admits Ferrari "steered into different direction" for 2020 concept
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed the side have taken the concept of the 2020 car into a completely different direction, saying "you may lose initially some ground" but it should prove fruitful in the long-term.
The Italian works team showed up at pre-season testing in Barcelona seemingly behind the curve, with both Mercedes and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing comfortably ahead of them on race pace and one-lap pace.
While many think Ferrari are playing mind games and sand-bagging their car, Binotto has once again underlined this is definitely not the case.
“On our side, we steered the direction of our project into a different direction compared to the past," he told Formula1.com.
"Normally when you do that, you may lose initially some ground but hopefully that will give some more potential development for the future.”
This different approach mainly consists of Ferrari focussing on cornering speed rather than straight-line speed, where they excelled last season. While they have done exactly that, they seemed to have lost ground on the opposition.
“We have been a lot faster through the corners compared to last year,” the Swiss-born Italian continued.
“So the car is doing what we are expecting, being faster in the corners, but we’re slower on the straights. I think we believe that having more downforce should help us not only on a single lap but also in the race, like in tyre management and tyre wear.
"If I think of the race simulations we did, compared to single laps performance, we have been stronger on the longer stints. That’s the benefit of more downforce.”
Ferrari's factory in Maranello remains closed as Italy continues its battle against the coronavirus pandemic.