How Ferrari can use data gathered from Imola test with 2018 F1 car. How Ferrari can use data gathered from Imola test with 2018 F1 car.

Formula 1 teams also have the possibility of going out on track during the break and this was the case for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz yesterday. The Scuderia Ferrari drivers took turns behind the wheel of the SF71H at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, where the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was held in March earlier this year.

The purpose of these runs, which are quite frequent during the season, is to collect data in order to calibrate the new simulator, and therefore ensure that the correlation between them is exact. The mismatch, i.e. the mismatch between the simulation results and the car’s performance on the track, was a problem that for a long time hindered the work of the Scuderia’s engineers, which is why Ferrari invested great resources in the creation of a last generation simulator.

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The constant rain rain made the track wet throughout the day, changing the program underway and forcing both drivers to use the Full Wet compound. In the morning, for Charles Leclerc there was also an engine problem that interrupted his session – but the Monegasque driver did not remain idle after the breakdown; while the mechanics worked on the car to get it back on track in the afternoon with Carlos Sainz, Charles resumed his work, this time in the simulator.

No problem for Carlos Sainz, however, who in the afternoon made his run on a wet track, but not impassable. Perhaps not the ideal conditions for data collection, but these are important laps for the Spanish driver, who has also used the sessions in the SF71H this year to familiarize himself with the team and the car.

To make up for lost time, and weather conditions permitting, the drivers of the Ferrari Driver Academy could take to the track today at Imola, and would therefore once again have the opportunity to test the SF71H – a car designed by the then Technical Director Mattia Binotto, with Simone Resta and Enrico Cardile: in 2018 the SF21H was driven by Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen and was able to score 6 poles and 6 victories for Scuderia Ferrari.