Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer expects the team to make a significant step forward with its last major upgrade of the season at next week’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Szafnauer said at Monza he believes the upgrade will help sustain the team’s recent upward swing.“We expected to be good at Spa, which happened,” he said. “We expected to be good here. And we also expect to be pretty good in Singapore.”
Although next week’s race marks a change from high-speed circuits to one of the slowest on the calendar, Szafnauer said the team will have “some tricks up our sleeve in Singapore”.
The RP19 will have a “big update”, he confirmed, which is mainly intended “to fix some of the aero issues with the car.” Racing Point brought a major upgrade earlier in the season in Spain but were disappointed with the outcome.
Szafnauer hopes the Singapore upgrade will prove a turning point. “From there on out just learn about the car, get the set-up right, hopefully we’ll be at the top of the midfield where we’re used to being and I would say we belong.”
The team’s development this year has been affected by a “lag” due to its financial problems during 2018, said Szafnauer.
“Last year when we were struggling, it always has a little impact on your development: What you do, how you go about working. Especially mid-year. Like now for example, this year’s done and it has been done from a CFD [and wind] tunnel perspective for a while.
“So in that time where you have a lot of uncertainty it has an impact on the following year. There’s always a lag between what you do today and when you see it on the track, both positive and negative. So I think some of the things we struggled with at the beginning were a legacy of what happened to us mid-year last year.”
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Only Facts!
14th September 2019, 12:01
Like Toto Wolff predicted, reshuffling of the rules helps the top teams, instead of shaking up the order.
When the midfield was still learning from the wider car rules from 2017, with even Red Bull struggling, another change forced them to spend millions and start over.
Results: Mercedes still on the top, along with Ferrari and Red Bull. McLaren finally have their game on, but that may change when the rules are reshuffled again in 2021.
I think teams need a break from this. At least if budget cuts are really on the agenda. And of course, stable rules puts the (best) drivers back where they belong. As someone said, a good driver is the cheapest 0.5s you can buy.
erikje
14th September 2019, 15:50
Not sure where the Singapore update is your best evidence for this remark.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
15th September 2019, 3:45
Only because they’ve stuffed up the cost-cap. If the cost cap came in before the rule-change it would’ve levelled the playing field with development on the new car.
Kyorin
14th September 2019, 15:29
Racing Point are no longer hamstrung by lack of funds though, so rule changes are less likely to leave them on the back foot as much as in the past.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
14th September 2019, 16:55
Racing point were decent on all power tracks, as a whole a bit up and down, unlike them.
The b-car looks stunning, looks like a top runner now.