The head of the Italian Ferrari team, Mattia Binotto, believes that after the last upgrade of Ferrari's powertrain, the gap behind Mercedes is no longer so huge.
After 2019, when the FIA tightened rules on fuel flow sensors, the Italian team had a tough battle to develop a sufficiently powerful engine and capture the Mercedes team.
During the winter break, and in the second half of the 2021 season, Ferrari introduced an updated hybrid engine system. Thus, Charles Leclerc in Russia and Carlos Sainz in Turkey have already tested new engines with an updated system.
Despite the fact that both racers lost their starting places due to the engine change, they found that the updated engine brings them much more performance.
Binotto believes the latest updates are a big step for Ferrari. This means that the lag of the Italian team is no longer as big as last season.
“The extra power is very noticeable at the start-finish plane, both at the start and at the end of the race. If we look at the race last weekend, we had the wings set to the highest vacuum, and we were almost as fast as the rest. Given the situation last year, this is definitely a big step forward. We are aware that we still don't have the best engine, but I don't think the difference behind the best is so dramatic anymore, ”explains Binotto.
The extra engine power can be crucial for Ferrari in the battle for 3rd place in the design championship, which the team is beating with the McLaren team. In the 2021 season, the two teams are very close, but at McLarn they admit that now the Italian team has a faster car.
Binotto also says that Ferrari, with the updated ERS system, has the opportunity to break into higher places in the next races.
“Overall, we had faster laps last weekend. I think it’s not just that the racetrack suited us, it definitely made the new engine help us rank better. I am very pleased with the progress in the last races. It gives me confidence for the future, ”adds the visibly satisfied Ferrari boss.
Photos: HB Press
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