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Ferrari brought their first major aerodynamic upgrade to the F1-75 at the 2022 Spanish GP like many other teams across the grid.
According to the Scuderia’s sporting director Laurent Mekies, the new upgrade package reportedly had two ‘aspects’ – gains in lap time, resolving the car’s porpoising issues. Speaking at the FIA press conference ahead of the 2022 Spanish GP, Mekies said:
“On one side as being the first package of the season, it will be lying not to say that we are looking at an overall level of performance. There was not a given weakness that we were targeting with a new package, we knew that it, coming after five races, it had to give us some core lap-time.”
He further said:
“That was the first target of the package. Then the other aspect is, is the biggest topic on the on the technical side of the season: porpoising.”
Ferrari brought a significant chunk of upgrades to Barcelona after holding back on upgrades for the first five races of the season. Given the restrictions placed by the cost cap, the Italian team chose to maximise the F1-75’s launch spec before bringing in any upgrades.
Rather than focussing on making marginal gains through a continuous stream of minor upgrades, the team has aimed to make substantial improvements with major upgrades spread across the season. The Barcelona upgrade is the first of such major upgrades.
The substantial upgrade package includes a new rear wing, a modified front wing, newer spec floor, modified front suspension elements, modified rear brake duct winglets, and more.
Early indications from Ferrari’s Barcelona upgrades are “positive”
Laurent Mekies believes the new upgrades that Ferrari has brought to the Spanish GP are working as it expected them to. Mekies says early indications from Friday's running were “positive” but cautioned that the Scuderia still had a long way to go before fully understanding the new parts. He said:
“It's early days for us as well. We have been hoping for this first package for a few races now. So, we are taking our time to explore it.”
He continued:
“The first indications are positive in a way that we will be racing this weekend with both cars.”
Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are running new parts on their cars in Barcelona. However, Leclerc still has an edge over his teammate, as his car has a newer spec power unit.
