A woeful return to Formula 1 action by the storied Scuderia Ferrari outfit has seen the team take drastic measures by fast dating their upgrades initially set to come at the third round in Hungary.
Ferrari were undoubtedly only the fifth-fastest team over the weekend in a race problematised by straight-line speed and aerodynamic issues.
Both Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel barely managed to cut their way through the field, with the latter failing to even make Q3 on Saturday.
It is a predicament the Italian outfit has not faced since 2012 and has since seen the team respond by fast-tracking upgrades in a bid to close the bridge of performance between themselves and the front runners.
“We know there is still a lot of work to do. It is certainly not the position a team like Ferrari should be in and we have to respond to that immediately,” said Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri.
“It is now clear that we need to improve in all areas. The only solution is to react and it does me good to see that Mattia and the team responded immediately. They put a lot of work into it now.
“It’s not only about bringing the updates of tomorrow, but also about speeding up the whole process of developing new parts.
“That’s the answer of a collaborating team, who roll up their sleeves and just accept the problems, without crying about it. We are now at the start of a new way of working, which is aimed at the long term. If we get problems, they won’t get in our way and I have the confidence in Mattia and the team to solve the current problems.”
Leclerc, who finished second in a frantic conclusion to the Austrian Grand Prix, admits his podium finish was like a victory as the SF1000 battles fragile aerodynamic woes coupled by an unusually underperforming power unit.
Formula 1 returns to action with its second successive race around the Red Bull Ring on July 13 at 1.10 am NZT.
