Ferrari has already revealed that it has a major engine upgrade coming because it didn't update all the engine parts it had homologated for the 2021 season. Now Italian publication La Gazzetta Dello Sport has revealed that Ferrari is found around an additional 10 bhp in the update. Ferrari's engine had been hobbled by technical regulations at the end of the 2019 season when it had the most powerful power unit of all the teams. At the start of the 2020 season, it faced a double whammy of technical regulations that had hobbled its engine by a whopping 65 bhp compared to what Mercedes had and a development free thanks to COVID19. Its chassis was also hobbled because it was designed keeping in mind a more powerful engine so it had massive drag related issues.
Also Read: Ferrari to bring massive engine upgrade in 2021
At the beginning of the 2021 season Ferrari had recovered a major chunk of the horsepower deficit with its engine being around 20 bhp off the pace from what Mercedes and Honda had with it being on par with the Renault power unit. Now, this extra 10 hp coupled with some aerodynamic improvements are set to make Ferrari faster on the straights just in time for its home race which is at Monza the fastest F1 circuit of them all. Monza is dubbed the temple of speed and cars are driven at full throttle.
Ferrari is also working on a major new engine for 2022
The Prancing Horse would've struggled against McLaren with whom it is battling for P3 in the constructor's championship. McLaren uses the Mercedes engine and its aerodynamic concept makes it rapid in the straights and fast corners. Ferrari has also made some improvements to the ERS system which will allow Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr to use more energy each lap and therefore they will be able to go faster.
Ferrari expects to struggle in Belgium which is the next race this weekend as its engine deficit will catch up with as even Spa is a power sensitive circuit. Ferrari believes it is on average 0.7 seconds per lap slower than the Mercedes and Red Bull of which 0.4 seconds is coming from the engine. Ferrari could potentially recover almost half of that deficit with this last major update. This will hold it in good stead for the rest of the season as many power-sensitive tracks are coming up. Its car is already amongst the leaders in slow rolling corners where mechanical grip is paramount.
