Tech Preview | How teams will exploit new parc ferme rules with set-ups

After four races, the first Sprint weekend will take place this weekend with a completely reviewed format. The new format involves the parc fermé to reopen between the Sprint and qualification for the race, which could push the engineers to use two different setups for the Sprint and for the main race. Let’s see why this choice could be the most logical one. 

What to expect from the Sprint Race

With only one hour of practice session, all top teams have decided to adopt a medium downforce rear wing, which should provide enough grip through the fast Turn 1 and Turns 6 and 7, without producing excessive drag one the long back straight.

During FP1, top teams opted for different approaches: Red Bull used both the medium and the soft, simulating the fast lap and the race pace on used mediums, while Ferrari only worked with the soft tyres. Red Bull’s work could give them an advantage for the Sprint too, as they have tried both compounds and can choose the more stable (in terms of temperature and degradation) for the short race on Saturday. 

During the Sprint the lighter fuel load should encourage the engineers to choose bolder setups too: since the car will be lighter, they could decide to run the car at lower ride heights, increasing the downforce generated by the Venturi channels and thus improving the behaviour especially in all the fast corners. From this point of view, the wear of the plank underneath the car should not worry the teams too much, as they’ll be allowed to change it before qualifying, avoiding the excessive wear problems during the race as happened to Hamilton and Leclerc at COTA last year. Moreover, also the mechanics of the car could be softened to improve cars’ behaviour in all slow speed corners and chicanes, to have a more aggressive tyre management during the short race. 

On the other hand, however, the majority of the settings must be changed for the race then, when the higher fuel load will have a huge impact on the behaviour of the car and on tyre wear. Top teams will need to adjust the ride height, to avoid an excessive plank wear in the high speed, without losing too much downforce.

As many drivers suggested, due to the very little time available during FP1, teams will use the Sprint as a race pace simulation, conscious that after that session they’ll be able to adopt a series of changes to the setup to eventually improve of change how the car babysit the tyres.

What about the painted asphalt?

One thing that generated a big concern both between the drivers and the teams was the new “painted asphalt” laid on a few areas on the track. In these areas the circuit has not been resurfaced, but a layer of bitumen has been placed to level out the bumps present. These "patches" proved to have a completely different grip than the “normal” tarmac: during the Sprint qualifying, cars were struggling a lot to put the tyres into temperatures, sliding in all corners. These new painted patches, in fact, provide less grip, increasing the rear tyre spinning. 

McLaren proved to be extremely competitive in wet conditions, as the MCL38 is able to generate enough heat into the tyres to put them into the working window before their competitors. This factor allowed both Piastri and Norris to be very competitive in all the laps done in SQ3. 

Another aspect that must be taken into consideration for the rest of the weekend is the weather conditions: if it is very cold, Ferrari might get closer to Red Bull, precisely because the front tyres will struggle to get into the optimal window, generating graining. On the other hand, if no more showers hit the track during the weekend, dry sessions could certain favour the RB20, which was extremely competitive in all sectors and corners both with Verstappen and Sergio Perez. This scenario could give a much more competitive weekend between Red Bull and Ferrari, but a lot will also depend on the fine-tuning work of both teams, especially after Saturday’s Sprint. 

In conclusion, everything is set for a good weekend of racing, where the new format and the weather uncertainty could play a big role in the close fight between Ferrari and Red Bull.