Ferrari top speed

[ayoubtech]

Welcome guys , I really enjoyed the race yesterday , but yeah so disappointed to see the victory escapping from Vettel who deserved it more .
Anyway , I would like to understand the lack of top speed in the Ferrrai car .
Is it down to the engine or the aerodynamic package ?
Specialists are already speaking about the high level of downforce that the SF70-H is generating and the complex structure of the diffuser that create more drag than the Mercs in the straight lines .
What do you think "Raggazi" ? Do you have any information ? or any thoughts ??

[outsid3r]

It is very difficult to say but I think it is an element of both. I believe the Merc PU is slightly more powerful, but only just. I also think that the Ferrari was set up on the high-downforce/high-drag end of the spectrum. They could have certainly raced with slimmer front and rear wings (as they will probably do in Monza). But they were probably aiming on a 1 stop strategy for Spa thus the higher downforce would pay later in the race as the tyres would be in a better shape. Unfortunately we couldn't see if that would have worked due to Force-Indias' mash up. It is however evident how kind they were on the tyres seeing how they choose ultra-softs after the safety car and Merc choose softs. Vettel was also told to push as much as he liked as 'tyres were not an issue'. Also, the higher downforce setup could have been asked from the drivers themselves as both Vettel and Kimi tend to prefer a more stable and comfortable car to drive rather than raw pace.

All in all I am really impressed how Ferrari matched Mercedes on a high-speed track... lets just hope their 'forte' on high-downdorce tracks wasn't lost in the process

[ayoubtech]

Yeah , I agree with you but just look at those 2 pics :
Mercedes diffuser :
https://cdn-2.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... USERx2.jpg
Ferrari diffuser :
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5xTqCeWAAEt6Hz.jpg:large
I think the way the leaders treat the drag from rear tyres differs and we can see that the design of the diffuser of the Mercs is more homogenous and very optimal which let them to have a very efficient cars in terms of aerodynamics
Let's not forget that 35% to 40% of downforce is generated only by the diffuser and in the new regulations it may be even more, with the radical change of dimensionality.

[holeindalip]

It is very difficult to say but I think it is an element of both. I believe the Merc PU is slightly more powerful, but only just. I also think that the Ferrari was set up on the high-downforce/high-drag end of the spectrum. They could have certainly raced with slimmer front and rear wings (as they will probably do in Monza). But they were probably aiming on a 1 stop strategy for Spa thus the higher downforce would pay later in the race as the tyres would be in a better shape. Unfortunately we couldn't see if that would have worked due to Force-Indias' mash up. It is however evident how kind they were on the tyres seeing how they choose ultra-softs after the safety car and Merc choose softs. Vettel was also told to push as much as he liked as 'tyres were not an issue'. Also, the higher downforce setup could have been asked from the drivers themselves as both Vettel and Kimi tend to prefer a more stable and comfortable car to drive rather than raw pace.

All in all I am really impressed how Ferrari matched Mercedes on a high-speed track... lets just hope their 'forte' on high-downdorce tracks wasn't lost in the process

Mercedes chose the softs because they felt it was better for their car, and they didn't have any new sets of us

[MtthsMlw]

It'll be interesting to see how the car behaves with minimal FW and RW and maybe the new diffuser (not sure if it creates less or more downforce than the current one), which they tested in Hungary. Adding to this the speculated engine upgrade could help a bit, too.

[NL_Fer]

1-2 at Monaco and Hungary, and a solid performance in the UK if not for the blowing tyres. The red car seems to prefer high downforce tracks, that is were their magic is. Spa als needs allot of downforce for the high speed corners, but they lost on straights, even Raikkonen couldn't catch Ricciardo.

[ayoubtech]

Yeah absolutely , I wonder if Red Bull had a strong engine , it will make the top teams lives harder !!

[iulian_florea]

I have the feeling that the Renault PU is more competitive than RB would like to admit.

[SiLo]

I think the higher downforce setting on the Ferrari was better for race day. But Mercedes apparently trimmed some wing to be able to defend better on the straights even though it hurt them in S2 and reduced their overall laptime.

[ayoubtech]

It seems to me that the FIA is more pathetic with Mercedes . They let them have some exclusive informations .
For example , in belgium the Brackley-based team brought a brand new engine I think the directive that the FIA has published in June of this year has been already known by some members. Thus Ferrari know will have to introduce a new specification that consumes only 0.9l/race of oil meanwhile Mercedes who has introduced their last engine at spa will burn 1.2l/race of oil . that 0.3l/race of difference which is A LOT in terms of performance , especially in a circuit like Monza.

[ayoubtech]

Here is the article published by autosport :
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/13150 ... burn-level