Will different wing help Ferrari in Singapore? 'It's about more than that'
F1 News
The street circuit in Singapore requires a lot of downforce. The last comparable track to the Marina Bay Street Circuit is Circuit Zandvoort, and Ferrari did not do great there. The team struggled with the balance of the SF-23 and ended up opting for a rear wing with slightly less downforce. In Singapore, Ferrari wants to go back to using the rear wing that provides maximum downforce, and Carlos Sainz thinks the team is ready for that.
Ferrari disappointed at Zandvoort
Ferrari had a tough time in the first race after the summer break. Charles Leclerc crashed in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, and a day later, the Monegasque retired due to too much damage to his car. Sainz eventually finished fifth in the chaotic race at Zandvoort but indicated after the race that Ferrari was only the sixth or seventh team in terms of speed.
Ferrari in Singapore with maximum downforce though
Ferrari's Spanish driver hopes things will improve in Singapore with the maximum downforce package. "We actually learned some interesting stuff about how our car performs on that sort of track and what our high downforce wing is doing. And yes, in some of the cases, they didn't work as well as we wanted. And that's why we're changing a lot of the package race to race. And hopefully, for this weekend, we found a better solution than in Zandvoort and it can give us a bit more performance," Sainz begins.
Afterwards, the Spaniard does stress that - unfortunately for Ferrari - it is not just to do with the rear wing. "But honestly, I think it's much bigger than just the rear wing. It's more a car characteristic thing." Last year, Leclerc still grabbed the pole on the streets of Singapore. However, something crazy might need to happen if the Monegasque is to repeat this performance.