The rear wing that the Italians brought to the Miami Grand Prix but ultimately did not use, was used for the first time in a race weekend at the last Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Until now, Ferrari had always been at the bottom of the top speed table, but in Baku they were closer to their main rivals, Red Bull.
Mattia Binotto confirmed that the wing worked as expected and helped improve the F1-75’s top speed with both the DRS open and the wing in normal race configuration, when Charles Leclerc was trying not to be caught by Max Verstappen.
This wing is likely to be used again at several upcoming races that feature long straights and favor the low-drag setup, including Montreal.
“I think with this kind of downforce we don’t have such a huge disadvantage to Red Bull anymore, the speeds were very similar,” Binotto said after Sunday’s race.
“Both with the DRS open in qualifying, and with the DRS closed in the race, we could see that we had a good top speed, at least to be in contention, keeping Max behind on the straights.”
“So overall, I think yes, the rear wing is working as expected. It seems to work in a similar way to Red Bull, with similar downforce, and that gives me confidence that whenever we need that extra, We’ll be able to use it without any big problems.”
Mattia Binotto insisted after Baku that the Maranello team would stay together as it tries to address its issues and come back stronger.
“I can’t blame the team, because I know how great an effort they have made to find a solution to the poor performance we had in the past.
“I know this is a long journey. We didn’t get excited at the beginning of the season and now we don’t think we’re the last either. Like I said, it’s a journey we’re all on together, and we still have other steps to take that are needed in this moment”.
“I think as a team, again, we will stick together and work hard,” he concluded.
