Ferrari F1 Charles Leclerc says Ferrari’s progress in F1 engineering since last year, including the hybrid upgrade introduced at the F1 Russian Grand Prix, no longer feels “powerless” during the battle.
Considering how important energy management is in battles with rivals, the gain of the hybrid part of the F1 power unit has a big impact.
With a recent upgrade, Ferrari seems to have gained a small but significant performance advantage in the Constructors’ third-place race with McLaren. Now the difference has been reduced to 3.5 points.
This year’s Ferrari form has improved significantly since 2020. The most obvious is the race trim, especially in the powerful qualifying performances of Charles Leclerc’s pole position in Monaco and Azerbaijan.
When asked how the performance of this year’s power units would be different, Charles Leclerc said, “Last year, not only the engine, but the entire package was a problem.”
“It was a very drag-heavy machine, but it was even worse on the straight.”
“Overall, it was very difficult and in some races I felt helpless as I had nothing to do to improve my position as a driver.”
“It’s definitely a big step forward in racing this year compared to last year. It was a big change.”
The recent hybrid upgrade is the latest step in this improvement, and Ferrari explains that it is an important head start in hopes of taking another big step in the power unit in 2022.
The benefits of this upgrade, including switching from a 400V to 800V energy store, are best felt when fighting other machines, thanks to the complex energy management requirements placed on the power unit.
Asked how big the latest hybrid upgrade is, Charles Leclerc says, “It’s a very small change and it’s very difficult to answer.”
“Every time we launch a new package, we talk about 0.01 seconds in every corner.”
“It’s very difficult to quantify it as a feeling, but you can feel a little when you see how much it’s recovering, especially when you’re competing in a race that requires energy.”
“So it feels a bit in certain situations, but it’s not completely obvious right after the first lap when you get into the car.”
Teammate Carlos Sainz shares Charles Leclerc’s feeling that engine changes are particularly beneficial in battle due to the additional ERS capacity.
This is not an increase in peak power, but the advantage of being able to deploy more hybrid power thanks to a more efficient system.
“I’m not going to go into details, but a little more battery capacity gives you a little more capacity to allocate the extra power you need to the location when fighting with the battery and hybrid system,” said Carlos Sainz. talk.
“Everything makes a little difference”
Carlos Sainz wasn’t a Ferrari driver last year, but he regularly battled Charles Leclerc with his predecessor Sebastian Vettel and felt that the McLaren Renault package had an advantage in race trim.
This is reflected in the results, with McLaren in third place in the Constructors’ Championship and Ferrari in sixth place.
“Last year we had a good experience. Charles and Cebu often passed the qualifying in front of us, and while they were suffering from race pace, we had a good chance to overtake them from behind,” said Carlos.・ Sainz recalls.
“And the progress we’ve made this year is huge from an F1 perspective. It means everyone in the factory has done a good job.”
“We’re still a bit short. We’re not a reference yet when it comes to engines. Ferrari wants to be all the references, keeps trying to improve as a team, and wants to take the next step next year. There ”
Category: F1 / Charles Leclerc / Ferrari / Carlos Sainz Jr.
