Scuderia Ferrari head into this weekend’s British Grand Prix looking to return to the top step of the podium, having not won a race since the Australian Grand Prix. The Italian team have come close on a number of occasions, including, the recent Canadian Grand Prix where Carlos Sainz Jr narrowly lost out to Max Verstappen.
Ferrari will be full of hope and optimism this weekend, as Charles Leclerc has been fitted with a new power unit. The Monegasque driver has suffered a number of PU failures as of late, resulting in his back of the grid start at the recent round in Canada.
Leclerc has a new PU at his disposal ahead of four races within the next five weeks, as the summer break edges ever closer. The number sixteen driver came close to winning at the Silverstone International Circuit last season, but was overtaken very late on by a charging Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari’s Race Strategist, Ravin Jain, explained the characteristics of Silverstone ahead of the weekend.
“Silverstone is a very technical and high-speed circuit characterised by quick changes of direction, such as the famous Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel sequence of corners which are some of the fastest on the F1 calendar. This fast-flowing nature with a lack of many slow speed corners means it is one of the least demanding circuits for brakes.
“However, being located in the middle of the English countryside, the track is quite flat with little elevation change but is very open and exposed so the wind often plays a role in affecting the balance of the cars around the lap. The newly resurfaced tarmac is now 3 years old and is smooth with high grip which means drivers can push their cars to the maximum”.
Due to the high-speeds seen at the circuit both in the corners and down the straights, Pirelli have chosen the hardest range of tyres for the weekend. Despite this, Jain is still expecting tyre degradation to play a fascinating role come Sunday.
“Because of its fast flowing nature, Pirelli have brought their hardest tyres to Silverstone with the C1, C2 and C3 compounds. Nonetheless, we expect tyre degradation to play an important role in determining how many stops there will be on Sunday. With a unique pit entry that cuts out the last couple of corners, the time lost for a pitstop is quite short and, coupled with two DRS zones, overtaking is possible so we expect to see some different strategies at play on Sunday.
“The British summer is also famous for some capricious weather, with it not being uncommon to see rain, sunshine and everything in between during a weekend! Teams and strategists have to be on their toes to react to any type of weather”.
Many won’t believe it, but Ferrari is loaded full of British history. Many Brits have worked for the Scuderia over the years, including Jain himself, who is extremely proud to work for such a famous team. Jain discussed his own personal journey with Ferrari, as well as some of the British history behind the team.
“I am proud to work for Scuderia Ferrari, an iconic Italian team, but also a place where many nationalities work together to represent the Cavallino Rampante all over the world. As a young British engineer, coming back to Silverstone is always special as it is the place that I first saw a Formula 1 car in person many years ago.
“There is a rich history of British people working for Ferrari: in fact, the first British world champion, Mike Hawthorn, won the crown in 1958 driving for the Scuderia, and I am proud to add my name to that long list of drivers and engineers. And suffice to say that I would be very happy to hear the Italian anthem ring out over the podium come Sunday afternoon!”.
