The recently-concluded Emilia Romagna Grand Prix held at Imola was supposed to have been a power-packed and impressive show by Ferrari. Though, in the end, it was anything but that.
While Charles Leclerc, who was looking so good toward the end for a podium finish in a close battle with Perez, spun out only to fall well out of podium contention, it didn’t help that Carlos Sainz race retired. That’s when the latter was hardly at fault in what happened seconds from the race start.
Moreover, one of the common spectacles throughout the course of the race was that the cars were perhaps a bit more bouncier than what one would’ve expected.
The sort of issue that nearly compromised Mercedes’ George Russell’s race, the driver eventually taking home a valiant fourth. The very issue that did bog down some of Charles Leclerc’s pace.
But then porpoising, seen ever since the start of the season, i.e., the Bahrain Grand Prix has been the common problem still confronted by a majority of teams on the grid.
But from a Ferrari perspective, much of the discussion ever since the completion of the Imola Grand Prix has been focused on whether the legendary Italian team are planning to introduce any significant upgrades for what lies ahead.
And make no mistake- for what lies ahead is no ordinary event; it is the widely anticipated Miami Grand Prix in the heart of US’ racing scene.
That been told, what do we know about whether Ferrari are actually planning to bring any significant upgrades for round#5 of the 2022 Formula 1 season or if there isn’t anything serious being planned for what’s due in another fortnight’s time?
According to a report published on a leading F1 portal, the following information has come to light:
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed that they aren’t planning to bring major upgrades to the 2022 Miami GP, despite lacking outright pace to match Red Bull at Imola.
Binotto said the team would only bring in an upgraded floor to reduce porpoising while optimizing the rest of the package for the new venue.
Meanwhile, in an official statement recorded by the media, here is what the famous bespectacled team boss Binotto had to say in the immediate aftermath of the Grand Prix at Imola:
“We will work on preventing bouncing and on adapting our aerodynamics package for this track, which requires less downforce. The larger upgrade will follow a little later.”
All of that being said, there’ve also been concerns whether the red team is pushing too much pressure on Charles Leclerc, who’s currently in the best possible chance of staking a big claim on the 2022 driver’s title. Make no mistake that the famous Monegasque has already registered two smashing wins, one each at Bahrain and Australia.
But on that front, Binotto has rubbished the feeling of being nothing more than media speculation, however, he did focus on the mistake that the young Ferrari driver, currently driving in his fourth season for the famous Maranello team, committed last Sunday:
“The mistake had nothing to do with pressure. Racing drivers are used to driving at the limit. The cars have harder suspension this year. If you get too high on the curb, you can lose the car.”