Jun.29 (GMM) Ferrari’s development program is raising fresh questions from rival teams about how the Italian outfit is operating within Formula 1’s budget cap.
After Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz expressed surprise at the number of upgrades being introduced by the leading teams, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has now singled out Ferrari.
“We’re a little surprised that Ferrari can throw such massive upgrades at the car the way they do,” he said.
“In my opinion, they’re about to run out of budget because we can’t afford it. We simply don’t have the budget buffer to bring in as many parts as they do.”
Ferrari introduced the first stage of its ADUO engine upgrade in Austria, adding to an already aggressive development program.
“I hope this changes by the end of the season, when they can no longer bring in any parts,” Wolff continued. “At least, logic dictates that this will happen. Because the only ones who haven’t slowed down are Ferrari.
“Between McLaren, Red Bull, and us, you can see that we had one major update, which we brought to Montreal. In between, we have minor parts.
“I think it’s the same for Red Bull and McLaren. It’s just that Ferrari’s capabilities in this regard seem limitless. And on top of that, they were already ready with the new engine.
“So, they must have started developing it six months ago.”
Ferrari, however, insists it remains well behind Mercedes in engine performance despite the new ADUO package.
“We need to continue working extremely hard and get the next upgrade onto the car as quickly as possible,” Lewis Hamilton said.
“When you’re fighting against Mercedes, it doesn’t feel like we’re just lacking power. It’s more about having the energy available throughout the entire lap.
“Mercedes simply seems to have an advantage there. That’s exactly what we need to improve.”
Hamilton added: “On Friday, we were losing six tenths on the straights.”
“I don’t know if the gap can be closed in a season. We could make progress later, but first we have some tough races ahead, like Silverstone with the long straights.”
Team boss Frederic Vasseur also urged patience.
“Engine-wise, we’ve had a deficit since the start of the season,” he said. “We knew and know that this is the situation.
“Even with the ADUO, you can’t imagine having a magic wand that can solve everything overnight. We’ll improve, but it will take some time, and with the engine, it takes even more.”
Indeed, Ferrari’s encouraging Barcelona victory was followed by a more difficult weekend in Austria, where Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could not match the leading pace.
“We didn’t have the pace we needed to fight Mercedes and Max Verstappen,” Vasseur admitted after Sunday’s Austrian GP.
Leclerc, however, does not believe Ferrari’s upgrades were the problem.
“In Barcelona, we were probably one of the strongest cars – we brought updates that worked,” he said. “I don’t think the updates were the issue this weekend.
“These cars are just very sensitive. If the setup isn’t right, you pay a heavy price.”
