F1 | Ferrari, Togninalli on the Sakhir GP: “A new challenge”

Having put aside the Bahrain Grand Prix, where it scored points with only Charles Leclerc finishing tenth, Ferrari is focused on the second round in Sakhir where the single-seaters will be engaged on theOuter Track. A very short track where the engine, at least on paper, will play a leading role. In a FAQ published on the official Ferrari website, Matteo Togninalli - Head of Track Engineering del Cavallino – analyzed the Sakhir GP from a technical point of view.

"A practically new challenge, with a couple of known parameters – declared Togninalli – It's true that we will race in the same place and on the same type of asphalt but the track has different characteristics, especially because you no longer have that part of the track where there were the mixed section and the high-speed corners. The tires thus have more 'breathing room' between one corner and another. This has an impact not only on the set-up and level of aerodynamic load but also on the behavior of the tyres, given that the level of energy they have to withstand, particularly the rear ones, is between 20 and 30% less. Therefore, certain problems – such as overheating – that we saw last weekend, should be mitigated. In terms of efficiency, it's certainly higher than the track we just raced at, so I expect to see a tendency to 'unload' the cars".

Are the innovations it offers and the overall characteristics of the track an obstacle or an opportunity for the Scuderia?
"I would say more of an opportunity, because it is a fact that both Saturday and Sunday we particularly suffered in managing the energy exerted on the tyres, so on this front we could find ourselves in a better situation. On the other hand, it is clear that the SF1000 does not shine on high efficiency tracks and this is a configuration on which the relative effect of engine performance is highest, two elements that will have a decisive weight. The most important thing will still be able to bring out our full potential, which is something we weren't able to fully do last week.".

How much of the previous Grand Prix experience will be useful in this event, particularly on tire management?
"There are some ideas that we want to explore in depth to find solutions that will allow us to improve performance, both in the approach to the lap and in the adjustments, but we will still be faced with a different event. For example, the management of qualifying will be different, both because it will not be at all easy to find the right moment to set the time due to traffic, and because - precisely because of what I said before regarding the energy that the tires have to manage - it will be difficult to bring the tires into the ideal operating window. There is a lot of work to do but these are the challenges that we engineers like. Parameters that must always be kept under control are fuel consumption and brake performance. If the first should be rather in line with that of last week, given that on a track that requires greater efficiency we will tend to run with less aerodynamic load, for the brakes it could be even more critical especially in the race, when the most important braking, like those of the first and last, they will have to be repeated thirty more times than last Sunday".