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Ferrari will try again with its new bodywork package in Monaco this weekend, former double world champion Mika Hakkinen believes. The resurgent-in-2015 team had headed to Spain with the significant upgrade and high hopes, only to find that the gap to Mercedes only blew out. "We need to understand if it is related to the (Barcelona) track," boss Maurizio Arrivabene said, "or if it is related to us."
Indeed, Ferrari became so lost in Barcelona that Kimi Raikkonen's weekend was sacrificed as the Finn was tasked with running the old specification alongside Sebastian Vettel's new. "That's a very difficult situation," Hakkinen, the 1998 and 1999 title winner, told his sponsor Hermes in an interview. "Ferrari would certainly have closely analysed things before Monaco, to see if the new parts do bring any real benefit. But I do believe that both drivers will from now on be using the new package."
At the post-Barcelona test, reserve Esteban Gutierrez was at the wheel as Ferrari conducted that analysis, and media sources confirm that the team was able to verify the expected 'numbers' promised by the wind tunnel and simulator. The Mexican driver confirmed: "We were looking to validate the new aerodynamic package and we managed that. It was a case of understanding how to improve the car's setup to better suit the new solutions we ran in the last race and that's what we did," Gutierrez added.
An Italian media source told us: "Both Gutierrez and Raffaele Marciello were able to tell the team not only that the new package is better, but that it is significantly better." (GMM)
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Replies (1)
Login to replymclarenfan1968
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Package maybe better by the numbers in a controlled test environment but on a real track the uncontrollable elements kick in. Their biggest issue is traction. You can have all the power in the world possible but if you cant control the delivery then that power is wasted and the tyres wear out faster. Ferrari are able to close up quickly no doubts about that but after they close up they are unable to punch past the slower car just that easily. Definite lack of traction. The same is true of when Ferrari try to defend the mercs seem to find it easy to follow the dirty air off of the Ferraris, fanboys will say the mercs are so good now at following cars but just ask Hamilton and Nico who always complain of tyres going bunk following the other merc up front and even while following Seb's Ferrari in Spain so the problem is pretty clear, it's poor traction.
Ferrari needs to find out what it takes takes to fix it like fast be it suspension, more changes to aero or the setup of their blown wheels itself. They are squandering that title chance due to traction issues, they are not that far off when we weigh things out overall.