F1 News
Ferrari change '95 per cent of car': 'Closer to Red Bull'
- GPblog.com
In the run-up to a new season, there are always reflections on what didn't go well in the past, but most of all, how hopeful Formula 1 teams are for the future. Even before the car for 2024 has been presented, Ferrari are already confident about the new car, at least team boss Frederic Vasseur showed last weekend.
Exactly what the Ferrari - provisionally codenamed 676 - will look like remains unclear until its launch on 13 February. During a media interview with Gazzetta dello Sport and others, Vasseur did make it clear that a completely different car will appear at the start of the F1 season.
Ferrari bites into details
"The rules remain the same, so a revolution is not allowed," the Frenchman stated. "However, we will change 95 per cent of the car. We have tried to improve every detail, in our quest for better performance, and the drivers have been involved from the beginning." Therefore, Vasseur dares to say, "We expect to be faster (the simulator results confirm this, Vasseur believes) but only when we start comparing lap times with Red Bull and the others, will we know how much exactly."
Whether it will be enough to fight Red Bull structurally? Vasseur expects the field to slide together and the Austrians to be less dominant. At the same time, he realises that under the budget cap, it is difficult to completely make up for a deficit. "They continue to have the advantage. We are going to see how they start the season."