Tost: Ferrari advantage 'at least' 5 tenths
Mere days into 2019 winter testing, it appears that Ferrari has a clear advantage.
With Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc smilingly topping the times, the most obvious difference between their red car and the others is the front wing.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss, admits that visibly, the wing produces less downforce.
"Somehow they must be compensating for that. The question is how," he told Germany's Auto Bild.
An even more extreme version of the Ferrari wing can be seen on the Alfa Romeo, a team closely aligned with the Maranello marque.
"The concept looks wrong, but we'll have to try it out in the wind tunnel," one engineer said.
But Wolff said it would be the wrong approach to "blindly" copy another team.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner agrees: "It wouldn't work to bolt a Ferrari wing onto our car."
Franz Tost, the boss at Toro Rosso, said an analysis of the current difference between Ferrari and Mercedes indicates a 0.5 second per lap advantage for the red team.
"At least," he said. "I think it's more than that."
Another theory is that Ferrari's secret is deeper than just the wing. Auto Bild said the rear of the Ferrari appears to lower at high speed.
FIA technical chief Jo Bauer is quoted as saying the Ferrari is "absolutely legal".
Daniel Ricciardo, who drives for Renault, observed that Ferrari is so far "the only team that has sent a strong message" after the two days of testing.
8 F1 Fan comments on “Tost: Ferrari advantage 'at least' 5 tenths”
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NO MATE YOU DO THAT MATE
Hamilton will never get a 7 times and this year he will not win it will be Ferrari this times back to back if Max red bull is not fast 2020 he will go to Ferrari so Mercedes AMG its good buy I have 4 cars 2 Mercedes s class AMG and a 560 sec 1991 but my hart Ferrari big time guys if Ferrari stop racing F1 will never the same again
If Ferrari is so far ahead what does that say for rakonens lap
Curiously low times that Bottas and Hamilton are posting. Something is fishy! Are they sandbagging it?
Ferrari looks promising in testing. Can't wait season to start. Sharing my reasons to look forward to 2019 F1 season.
Mercedes will wipe it clean again guys!
Vettel will have his hands full with Leclerc!
Red Bull will be up there with Verstapen trading wins with Hamilton!
It will be close but keep watching the Mercs and the Red Bulls!
"Vettel will have his hands full with Leclerc!"
Just about everybody and his brother in law keeps repeating this.
What exactly does this mean? That Vettel and Leclerc will fight each other to death in each race and will totally disregard other 18 cars on the track?
Argument makes no sense.
If Vettel loses to Leclerc how does it automatically follow that he also loses to Hamilton?
I don't get it.