On March 10, Ferrari virtually launched their challenger for the 2021 season, the SF21. The team are very enthused by the changes in the new car and are hopeful the changes they made to the rear of the car will push it over the line in terms of competitiveness.
The Italian team had a terrible 2020 season which saw them finish in a lowly sixth in the constructors’ standings. Their lack of a responsive power unit and lack of streamlined chassis design led to their dismal performances on the racetrack.
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Thus, in an attempt to regain their lost respect in the sport, the team have tried to bring about important developments in their car.
Ferrari used their development tokens on the rear part of the car according to Chassis Director
In an interview during the launch, Scuderia Ferrari Chassis Director, Enrico Cardile spoke about how the team focussed entirely on the rear with regards to development. He said, “We chose the posterior, creating a new transmission and new suspension.”
The Italian also mentioned the work which was done on the power unit would help them gain a lot in terms of performance. “This, along with the work done by our power unit engineers gave us a much more tapered rear end compared to the SF1000.”
“We also went over the cooling system, we increased the authority of the central radiator and designed a more down-washing bodywork.”
He felt the changes to the rear of the car were as a result of the aerodynamic regulations being significantly changed for 2021. The chassis man said, “Aerodynamics was one of the areas impacted by the changes regulations. The changes to the front part of the car were less radical, due to regulations.”
Can the Prancing Horse gallop to the top of the grid in 2021?
The Italian team would want to put 2020 behind them and focus on the future. The team look fairly confident about having put together a machine that can compete with the frontrunners on the grid.
They’re hoping that their interpretation of the aerodynamic regulations helps them steal a march on everyone else. They are also very happy with the updates they’ve incorporated to the power unit.
The team has not only made changes to the machinery, they have also changed up their driver lineup by bringing in Carlos Sainz for veteran Sebastian Vettel.
The success of these two factors will go a long way towards determining whether 2021 goes to plan or not, and they will strongly hope it does.
