Ferrari is set to bring further updates to next weekend’s Formula 1 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring but has once more cautioned that it will not lead to major progress.
Ferrari has endured a troublesome 2020 campaign amid aerodynamic deficiencies with its SF1000 and has also struggled for overall power output following February’s private settlement with the FIA.
It is on course for its lowliest result in the Constructors’ Championship – sixth – in the last 40 years.
It brought a handful of updates to last weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, including a revised rear-wing endplate and a reprofiling of the under-nose cape section, and was encouraged by the results.
Charles Leclerc classified sixth, which marked Ferrari’s best result in five rounds, but team boss Mattia Binotto was quick to dismiss the link between the final placement and the updates.
“I think we got a better balance and it’s track characteristics,” Binotto stressed. “But let’s hope we’ve found again some competitiveness that at least gives the opportunity to the two drivers to compete for a better position in the future.”
Binotto confirmed that Ferrari will bring the next part of its update package to the Nurburgring but once more cautioned that it cannot expect to make sudden gains.
“We’ll have a few more upgrades at the Nurburging. I mean, not major, but still for us I think it’s important considering our level of competitiveness,” he said.
“Then we will focus mainly on the diffuser for the remaining part of the season, but when is not yet defined.”
Binotto stressed that Ferrari can still make progress through the current regulatory cycle in spite of impending restrictions on development.
“Obviously you have reduced opportunity in the wind tunnel due to regulations,” he said.
“But for us it’s still important to develop the current car in view of next year, certainly to understand eventually what’s wrong with this one and to address it for the future.”
