There is no let up in work for the Scuderia in this very cold 2012 winter. The team returned from Jerez on Friday night and by nine yesterday morning the engineers who had been following the test in Andalusia from the factory, held a debrief. With them was Team Principal Stefano Domenicali who went over the situation as it stands after four days of testing.
The initial analysis confirms what emerged already by the end of yesterday, namely that the F2012 still needs polishing up, but the potential is there. It is a complex car, which uses elements that are new to the team, requiring careful study to research the best possible combinations. This formed the bulk of the work at the test and it will now continue in Maranello and then at the upcoming test days at the Catalunya Circuit. As for the rest, that was clearly visible from the outside too: both Felipe and Fernando completed the majority of their laps of the Jerez track in a car covered in sensors to produce data from constant speed runs, a task aimed specifically at understanding the aerodynamic behaviour of the car.
Some areas definitely have room for improvement, but the first changes made from the Tuesday to Friday have produced positive results, as Fernando Alonso himself confirmed on Friday evening, even if they have not been tried much so far.
There was no reason to bandy about predictions of catastrophe which was the case up to Thursday evening, nor was there any cause for elation after the Spaniard set the fastest time Friday morning. In summary, it’s a case of staying calm and concentrated. Now, all that’s needed is plenty of hard work to improve the car and solve the few minor problems on the reliability front, which cost the team a bit of time in Jerez. There’s a month to go until Melbourne: it seems like a short time, but it is enough to be well prepared for the start of the season.
Ferrari PR