Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says F2012 lacks downforce for Canadian GP – Formula 1
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the F2012 still needs some tweaking. The car lacks downforce and the team is going to be working on that.
Ferrari had been struggling with its new car initially in the season. It was only after the in season Mugello test that the team introduced an update package that has considerably improved the performance of the car.
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa both found balance issues and higher tyre degradation with the older version of the car. Ferrari though are now looking to be strong contenders for the drivers’ championship as Alonso is in the lead.
Ferrari is third in the constructors’ championship but an out of colour Felipe Massa is almost a burden on Alonso at the moment. Now that the car has improved, Massa will have to improve as well in order help the team fight for the constructors’ title.
“We must not forget that we still need to close the gap, working right to the end [of the season], always striving to improve the car,” Domenicali told Ferrari's website. “The fact the classification is so close means there are a lot of strong competitors.
Therefore, I repeat that what we need to do is to work on the development of the car at home to bring to the track what it is we are lacking.”
He also added that he wanted the car to have more downforce without losing efficiency and for that purpose, they needed to maintain speed and traction in slow corners.
The next race is in Canada and the long straights of the Canadian track will show the true pace of the Ferrari car. It will be important for any driver to do well in qualifiers so that they can remain ahead once they get a strong start.
Ferrari recently stated that they are going to be looking to do better in the qualifiers which they felt is going to be the key factor in doing well in the season.
It will be interesting to see how the season pans out for Ferrari and Alonso.
Tags: