Boštjan Kralj
How much and how long to invest in the development of the current car is the eternal question of engineers, the answer depends mainly on the position of the team in the championship. As Mercedes gained a huge advantage over the competition after only half of the season this year, the Silver camp was able to afford to quickly shift most of the development department’s resources to the next season. The last major improvements to this year's race car were seen in Hockenheim: "It simply came to our notice then. You have to manage your resources and capabilities in the right way, and you always have to take into account the next season as well. We pay a lot of attention to that, ” explains team boss Toto Wolff.
Ferrari, on the other hand, was chosen a different approach. Because they had a lot of problems with this year’s car in the first half of the season and because the rules remain more or less unchanged for next season (the aerodynamic revolution follows in 2021), they decided to continue developing this year’s car in which they clearly saw enough potential. A key package of improvements they introduced the new nose and bottom of the car in Singapore, where they seem to have completely caught up and even overtaken Mercedes in some areas. This is another proof of how the competition can catch a completely dominant race car in just a few weeks if it is not developed.
He is also continuing to develop this year's car Red Bull, which used new air deflectors in front of the refrigerators for the first time in Sochi, and Suzuki is hoping for some extra power thanks to improved fuel.
There was something new in the last two races, but also in the Mercedes car, but hidden from view under the chassis between the front wheels. It is about new conventional shock absorbers, with which Mercedes is preparing for 2021, when hydraulic suspension is to be banned. Some innovations are also expected to be tested at Suzuki, but all with the aim of testing components for the future. "It's a few small things we'd like to try, nothing bigger," he said. confirms Wolff. We will see which approach will pay off more next year.
