Formula One heads to Barcelona this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season.
It has been a frustrating campaign for Ferrari thus far, with drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton currently sitting fifth and sixth, respectively, in the World Championship.
The team are also languishing in fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, having amassed fewer than half the number of points as McLaren over the first eight races.
There were some signs of encouragement in the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, though, as Leclerc came home second, just over three seconds behind Lando Norris.
As attention now turns to the Circuit de Catalunya, there are hopes that this is the beginning of a turnaround in Ferrari’s fortunes, especially with news of a change being implemented for Round Nine.
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur thinks that new flexi-wing rules could be a ‘gamechanger’ for his team and the F1 paddock
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur hopes that his team can build on Leclerc’s strong performance last time out, believing that the new rules surrounding flexi-wings will pose jeopardy to the current pecking order.
The change, designed to reduce the amount of movement of each car’s front wing from 15mm to 10mm, is set to be introduced before the Spanish Grand Prix.
As reported by Sky Sports, Vasseur said in an interview at the track that Ferrari have been “working on [the front wing] for ages now, and this [rule change] can be a gamechanger for everybody because we don’t know the impact on every single team of the new regulation.”
Interestingly, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff also suggested that the tighter rules will benefit Ferrari, adding: “I think what we have seen is that Ferrari was probably most conservative on flexi-wings.
“What it is going to do on the pecking order is something we need to look at.”
McLaren could be hit most by the new rule change as Lando Norris claims the Drivers’ Championship is wide open
It has been an excellent start to the season for McLaren, with drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris sitting pretty at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, and the papaya team 172 points ahead of nearest challengers Mercedes in the Constructors’ Standings.
That being said, pundits and fans alike believe the new rule change could impact them the most.
As reported by Sky Sports, because of the new front wing regulations, ‘there have been paddock suggestions that the Woking-based outfit might not be the team to beat from Spain onwards.’
In line with this, Norris believes that both Ferrari and Red Bull are still very much in title contention.
Even though McLaren have won six of the eight races so far this season, the 25-year-old dismissed the idea that the title race was solely between him and Piastri, saying in his pre-weekend media duties that “if you think [the title fight] is just out of me and Oscar, then you are a bit silly.”
The Briton then name-dropped Ferrari as a team to watch, adding: “I expect Ferrari will get better as the season goes on.”
Whether or not that happens immediately this weekend remains to be seen.
Norris and McLaren will nonetheless be looking to snap Max Verstappen’s winning streak at the Spanish track. The place of Verstappen’s maiden victory in 2016, the Dutchman has won the last three races held at the Circuit de Catalunya.