Lewis Hamilton confirmed that Ferrari brought forward the introduction of a radical new rear wing for the Formula 1 Chinese GP, but the component ended up being removed after the first free practice.
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The team had stated on Thursday that it would use the new design, nicknamed ‘Macarena’, in Shanghai. The part had been briefly tested during pre-season testing in Bahrain, when it was used for only five laps.
No however, after the only free practice session in China, the team decided to abandon the new concept and return to the car’s traditional configuration before Sprint qualifying.
Hamilton explained that development was accelerated so that the part would be available this weekend, even though the initial plan was to introduce it only later in the season: “I really don’t know why we went back to the old wing. I think we rushed to bring it here, and it wasn’t scheduled to appear until the fourth or fifth race,” said the Briton.
According to the seven-time champion, the team made a great effort to bring the component forward, but the decision was to remove it because it was not yet fully ready: “They did a great job to bring it here quickly. We only had two units and maybe it was a bit too early, so we decided to take it off. The car was still very good and we will work to bring it when it is ready,” he said.
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Even without the new part, Hamilton positively assessed his performance in Sprint qualifying, in which he finished fourth. Still, he acknowledged that Ferrari needs to evolve mainly in straight-line speed: “I am very pleased with the result. My team and the engineers did a fantastic job to get the car ready. Overall, the car handled very well.”
The Briton highlighted that the main current limitation is in the power unit, which ends up costing time on the straights: “I think we are losing time on the straights, and the gap we are losing is actually quite significant. We have a lot of work to do. We need to push hard in Maranello to increase engine power. We knew that Mercedes started their development process before us and our competitors, and they did a fantastic job,” he added.
Despite this, Hamilton believes the car performs well in corner sections, which could help Ferrari remain competitive throughout the weekend: “The car felt great and I believe we can compete with them in the corners, but if you are behind in engine power, there isn’t much you can do,” concluded the experienced British driver.
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