10/04/2023
NEWS STORY
Despite what some are claiming to be its worst ever start to a season, Ferrari boss, Frederic Vasseur insists there are no plans for a B-car.
After three races last year the Maranello outfit was leading the constructor standings by 49 points, while Charles Leclerc enjoyed a 34 point advantage over (second-placed) George Russell.
Currently, the Italian team is fourth in the team standings, almost 100 points down on Red Bull, while Carlos Sainz is on 20 points - level with Lance Stroll - and Leclerc on 6, level with Nico Hulkenberg.
While Mercedes returns to the drawing board and McLaren talks of a “kind of B-car”, Vasseur has ruled out such a drastic move, even though the team is enjoying its worst start to a season since 2009, when Kimi Raikkonen finally opened the team's points account by finishing 6th in the fourth race of the season.
Asked if, like Mercedes, there is to be a change of concept in the coming months, Vasseur was responded: "No, I don't think so.
"We have a flow of updates that will come," he continued, "not for Baku, because we have the aero package for the level of downforce, and with the sprint race it is not the easiest one, but for Miami, Imola, not Monaco, and Barcelona. At each race, we'll have an update on the car.
"We are sticking to the plan," he continued. "We have made some adjustments in terms of balance and behaviour, and it was much better in Melbourne, and we'll continue in this direction.
"It's not a B-car if that is what you want to say. We won't come with something completely different. We will continue to update this one and we'll try to update massively."
Of course, Ferrari, like Mercedes and McLaren, and indeed all the teams seeking significant changes, is compromised by the restrictions on windtunnel testing, especially under the handicap system, and the budget cap, which, as we previously predicted, appears destined to be a major stumbling block moving forward.
"To do a new project during the season, to start from scratch, to do a new car with the cost cap, but also considering the restriction of the wind tunnel time, I don't want to say that it's impossible, but it's very difficult," admits the Frenchman. "Also, on our side, we have the feeling, and I hope that we are right, that we are going in the right direction, that we have still tons of room for improvement on the car.
"It means that as long as we are still able to develop the car to get downforce points, and the aero to get a better balance, to get a better stability and so, I think it makes sense to push in this direction.
"You have always a plan of development before the season, and then you have to react due to the circumstances, due to the competitiveness of the car, and due to the behaviour of the car. We took action very quickly. We brought some good updates in Melbourne, and we will continue. What we can do is to push to try to speed up this process, perhaps to take a direction a bit different in terms of balance and so on. But we can't change massively the plan after three races and say, 'okay, we have to go in another direction'."
Looking ahead to next season, he said: The question is really about the cost cap: if you want to do a carryover or not. And which parts do you want to carry over between one season to the other one, like the big components of the gearbox or monocoque? It's a question that we'll have to manage with the cost cap.
"With the strategy of development, I think we have good updates. And we'll see later on into the season if we want to do a continuous improvement of this one, and we have room for improvement, or if we have to change more massively the direction. We will see that much later."