Regardless of the time differences between the Ferraris and the Red Bulls, the Scuderia ‘s step forward in terms of the top speed of the F1-75 was evident in FP1 and FP2 of the Spanish GP. The data is still sparse, but the indications are clear enough to suggest that the update package is headed in the right direction.
In the last few races, the Austrian team showed a great advantage that seems to have closed at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, in fact, the speed trap records detected Charles Leclerc 4 km/h faster than the RB18 at the end of the main straight.
Ferrari has redesigned the lower part of the F1-75: the Cavallino team has revised the flow diverters that are placed at the entrance of the Venturi ducts on the outside. In Giorgio Piola’s image, a much higher vertical partition can be seen, placed a little further inwards, with a clear objective: to prevent the wake of the front wheel from reaching the last channel, dirtying the flows that, by On the other hand, they have the function of taking the air to the outside of the car, eliminating those turbulences that can ruin the aerodynamic efficiency of the car as a whole.
The trailing edge has also been modified, it no longer has the slots that it had shown up to now: initially this served to partially unload the Venturi channels and prevent the F1-75 from suffering too serious a porpoising .
This phenomenon caused the Maranello technicians to lift the car higher than would have been ideal, inevitably losing a lot of downforce. With this new setup, Ferrari should be able to position the car at a lower height.
The rear exhaust was also modified after the experiments carried out in FP1 of the Australian GP with a more aerodynamic keel in search of less drag. At the rear there are two other important changes: the external fins of the brake duct have been redesigned in line with the changes that have been made to the bottom.
On the other hand, the new medium-high load rear wing does not escape either: the main profile shows a much less accentuated spoon shape than the one that had been mounted until now, while the mobile flap has a greater chord length and an incidence more pronounced.
