Mercedes and Ferrari had a great time in Singapore. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Singaporean Grand Prix. On the other hand, after a few races, Mercedes had another podium finish this year. Most importantly, Ferrari broke Red Bull’s winning streak. Carlos Sainz broke Max Verstappen’s winning streak. However, Red Bull kind of knew that the race in Marina Bay was going to be difficult. It was definitely not the strongest weekend for Red Bull this year.
On the other hand, Ferrari should be high in confidence to win more races this season. However, it seems the Italian manufacturers have ruled out the possibility of winning the next Grand Prix in Suzuka, Japan. Anyway, the type of circuit Japan has will help the Red Bull car more than any other team’s cars. Perhaps that’s the reason why both Ferrari and Mercedes have brought new upgrades to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Ferrari & Mercedes Bringing New Upgrades To Challenge Red Bull In The Japanese Grand Prix
Despite Red Bull having the upper hand in Japan, the other two powerhouses would like to challenge the championship leader as much as possible. Ferrari and Mercedes are trying to get their cars ready for the challenge in Japan. The Italian team has brought a completely new floor body for the SF-23 car. Ferrari has also worked on the floor’s edges and fences along with mid-floor and diffuser sidewall. On top of that, the Italian manufacturers had to modify the side pod’s undercut. However, this change is not specifically for the Suzuka track, but it is a part of the standard development process of the car.
Ferrari will hope the change will increase the car’s efficiency along with the improved load distribution. On the other hand, Mercedes has introduced a new rear wing containing an extra vane to the rear wing endplate’s outer face. It will enable the car to have some downforce and drag as the rear wing will create a small vortex. Mercedes always prefers circuits with high downforce, especially with the W14 car. Since the downforce is way less in Suzuka, Japan, even McLaren and Aston Martin have introduced new upgrades to their cars. McLaren introduced a new side pod inlet and beam wing for their MCL60 car. On the other hand, Aston Martin gets a new front brake duct scoop for its AMR23 car.
Test For Red Bull To Use The Advantages Of The Suzuka Track In Their Favor
Even teams like Williams and Alpha Tauri brought upgrades for the Japanese Grand Prix. Williams felt the need for new floor fences for its FW45. On the other hand, Alpha Tauri brought a new rearview mirror and rear wing for the race in Suzuka. However, it is a test for Red Bull to get back to their winning ways in Japan after they removed the floor edges during practice sessions in Singapore.
The high downforce street circuit of Marina Bay, Singapore, presented several obstacles for the Austrian team. However, they managed to finish in the top ten. It was the worst race for Max Verstappen this season, finishing at P5. But as far as the FP2 results, the Red Bull team is still the most dominant team. Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes follow Red Bull in the same order.