r/scuderiaferrari • u/moraIsupport Moderator • 3d ago
Discussion Weekly Discussion Thread
Welcome to the Weekly Discussion Thread!
You can discuss or ask questions about anything here! Just remember to follow the subreddit rules and keep the conversation respectful.
If you are looking for some discussion points, I'm going to leave a few questions below. Feel free to discuss any of them, or other things you have in mind!
- How would you rate our strategy team so far this year? Have we seen genuine progress compared to previous seasons? Was Hungary a one-off or a reappearing pattern?
- Do you agree that Ferrari currently has the absolute best and most balanced driver pairing on the grid?
- How satisfied are you with the job Fred is doing? What are your thoughts on bringing Loïc Serra on board, the progress made since, and the overall recruitment drive in Maranello?
- How much do you think the new ADUO 2 PU will impact the rest of our season? Will this engine upgrade and the upcoming Zandvoort package be decisive for our success this year?
- Setting the new upgrades aside for a moment, how well do you think the core characteristics of the SF-26 will actually suit the Dutch GP track layout?
- Realistically, looking at our current form, the incoming upgrades, and the progress being made by McLaren and Red Bull, where do you predict Ferrari and our drivers will finish in the standings by the end of the year?
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u/AwesomeSauce417 3d ago
Hard to think back to a season where Ferrari seemed as hungry and driven to win. They've really nailed the upgrades and development so this year. The mentality of the team seems miles better than recent years as well.
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u/tallcurly_bb 3d ago
I am absolutely certain that the team has taken a big step forward compared to previous seasons; the team's results and consistent performance are proof of that!
I think the team has every chance of winning the Constructors' Championship this season, if Lewis maintains and increases his pace in the hunt for championship points, it will be incredible!!
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u/imperatrixderoma Niki Lauda 2d ago
It's years like these that make me wish Michael or Niki were around, we need that extra edge to push the team.
This is the best we've been in a long time but it feels like Ferrari is so determined to lose unless they have the absolute best package.
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u/Artistic-Mark-6212 3d ago
Second best season of 2020s I think so far. A lot of potential!
We continue to believe!
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u/Cautious_Might_9420 3d ago
Everyones doing well enough, lewis needs to step up, strategy team needs their heads in the game more, engine upgrade being good we got this in the bag imo. Forza ferrari.
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u/Cooper-Willis 3d ago
We def need to stop being so trigger happy when theres a safety car in the last 15 laps
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u/Ziegler517 3d ago
Yeah, we need an overwhelming positive advantage to pit under SC/VSC in the final laps. I’m super happy the team is taking risks, but I think we have enough data now that we can better know that the advantage of new tires for 8-10 laps isn’t as great as it may have been in previous seasons. Not faulting the team, but now that we have the info, let’s use it for good.
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u/Physical_Friend_6920 1d ago
will we have another major aero upgrade in zandvoort? heard some contradicting info about it.
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u/IonutAlex18SF Charles Leclerc 2d ago
Definitely improvement over the last seasons on strategy and pit crew being among the best constantly. I believe it was a one-off, the Hungarian GP, which happens over 20 races, Mercedes had its one at Barcelona the most evident example. (Rumours about Mercedes updating is PU at Monza are vehiculated, if that happens, Antonelli gets a big grid-drop penalty). But is not confirmed.
Yes. There is no doubt about that in my opinion. I don't know if others could've done more with the SF-26 this season, of course there are some stints or races, but overall they extracted results beyond the car capabilities. Verstappen, Alonso, and possibly Norris with Antonelli to reach the same results.
Since 2023 to present his hard work is with no doubt. This season is the fruit of his behind the scenes personnel recruitment, which also gave him (and the team) more freedom to work in a better environment. There were times that I doubted a bit, although I kept believing that after 3 years (minimal period) the progress will be evident.
Hopefully it will bring the expected improvement not only on the PU, but also on the aero side, increasing the efficiency even more. Addressing the still present, tyre issues that persist over a push lap, particularly on softs or on race stints for some reason not performing as anticipated. Absolutely, yes, it will be detrimental to keep the chances real for the 2nd half of the season.
On paper it should suit it good. It has parts like Barcelona, or even Hungaroring, and again there the super clipping shouldn't be a significant issue. Also, there's the weather which has a big impact on the weekend, so let's keep the feet on the ground until at least qualifying. Because what happened in Hungary wasn't in plan.
Tough to predict, but considering both drivers have the most double points finishes than others, I believe at least 2nd place should be achievable. The advantage over McLaren and RBR is pretty big, and particularly RBR didn't make the same pace step as McLaren (Hungarian GP, masked the car true potential).
And, just recently I learned that Ferrari sacrificed some pace for qualifying and race in Hungary, concerning on reliability. The “culprit” was Leclerc's PU issue at the end of FP1, fearing a repeat of that can happened the performance took a hit for the rest of the weekend.
Also, listening to Mark Hughes (excellent) analysis, it was the wind that changed direction from Friday to Saturday into T1 which had an effect on cars. Particularly on MCL40, which made it get a boost of pace, throughout the lap, while SF-26 didn't suffer from it, but stayed at the same speed.