Since their nadir on the ‘power circuits’ of Spa and Monza at the middle of the season, Ferrari have made measurable improvements with their SF1000.
They bounced back from that double-zero points haul and in Portugal mustered their first double-digit score since Silverstone. Even so, their hopes of finishing in the top half of the constructors championship look remote.Sixth is bad enough, but seventh would be even worse, and they may not be able to avoid that fate. AlphaTauri, who are also enjoying their third race this year on home ground at Imola, are edging closer.
While it seemed Ferrari’s improving form might put a stop to that, at Imola the other Italian team has delivered a rude shock. Pierre Gasly planted his car fourth on the grid, with Daniil Kvyat backing him up in eighth.
Is this all down to an advantage gleaned from their filming day at the circuit earlier this year? Perhaps, but it bears pointing out this is the second race in a row that AlphaTauri have been the third-quickest team.
As overtaking is expected to be very difficult at Imola, AlphaTauri has a good chance to cut into Ferrari’s 16-point championship lead. With the last three races of the year taking place at particularly power-sensitive circuits, Ferrari needs to shore up that advantage to minimise the risk of taking further pain in the constructors championship before the year is over.
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The other striking development in the balance of power among the teams this weekend is at Racing Point, who posted their worst performance of the season so far. They were seventh-quickest among the teams in qualifying (above), the lowest they’ve been all year.
Racing Point CEO Otmar Szafnauer suspects the reduced practice time at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is partly why the team hasn’t performed as well this weekend. “If you have greater simulation tools and techniques back at the factory, being prepared to come here helps in such a compressed practice and qualifying sessions,” he said.
“Also if you run the same philosophy of car over time then you can also get to the optimal solution quicker. We’re still learning about this aero philosophy at the different tracks and I think some of the others aren’t.”
The team hasn’t made anything like the same progress with its car that its rivals have. As the five-race average trend graph (below) shows, the gap between them and regular pace-setters Mercedes has widened. Having been close to Red Bull on performance in the middle of the season, Racing Point are at risk of losing touch with the front of the midfield on one-lap pace.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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2020 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
- Gasly says potential lost podium at Imola was his most painful retirement yet
- An F1 marshal explains why Stroll’s Imola near-miss raises safety concerns
- McLaren must seek “smallest gains” in qualifying to fight for third
- Pirelli begins probe into Verstappen tyre failure
- 2020 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Star Performers
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
31st October 2020, 23:43
That 5-race average lap-time deficit is one of the clearest graphs I’ve seen. Relative to Mercedes, most team have made progress it seems, probably due to the ban on party modes. Despite this, Williams have made progress, unlike the other Mercedes-powered teams.
So, early in the season the order was Mercedes | Red Bull, Racing Point | McLaren, Ferrari | Renault, AlphaTauri | Williams, Haas, Alfa Romeo. And now it is Mercedes | Red Bull | Renault, Ferrari, Racing Point, McLaren, AlphaTauri | Williams, Alfa Romeo, Haas.
falken (@falken)
1st November 2020, 8:24
Hardly clear when there are 3 different teams all drawn in red…
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
1st November 2020, 12:14
Live graph, roll your mouse over a data point if you’re unsure who’s who.
anon
1st November 2020, 10:03
@f1infigures did they necessarily make progress because of the ban on party modes, or because Mercedes switched development work onto their 2021 car several months ago?
I’d be more inclined to suggest it’s because Mercedes are focussing on that and on their 2022 car – with Ferrari and Renault having already begun crash testing their 2022 cars (the news came out about a fortnight ago that both of those teams had already undertaken the frontal crash tests on their 2022 cars), I wouldn’t be surprised if Mercedes has similarly already shifted most of their resources onto their future cars, not developing their current one.
frood19 (@frood19)
1st November 2020, 9:16
That 5-race average is a great little chart. Nice work!
RocketTankski
1st November 2020, 12:45
If Ferrari withdrew themselves as an engine supplier they could try and bag one of those Renault or Reddoburu engines for next year. Might be worth a few tenths