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Ferrari’s return to form at the United States Grand Prix coincided with a eureka moment for the Formula 1 team, as it finally realized that some it's recent upgrades have not worked out as it hoped. Its determination to try to make a success of recent developments had seen it persist in pushing down this route, but only when it rolled back on some of its parts did it get confirmation that it still had a quick car underneath it. For Sebastian Vettel, having a competitive car and answers to recent struggles was reason to both celebrate and cry. “It took too long," he said. "You can see it is good news but you can also see it is bad...

While Ferrari’s title hopes may have been derailed by strategy and operational failures, on the technical front the team continues to push hard in its bid to close down Mercedes. The family of front-end parts installed on the car in Russia, including a new front wing concept and turning vanes, were retained for the Japanese GP, and these new parts were accompanied by a new front brake duct fence.  The fence features two new fins that protrude out from the vertical fence, both of which take advantage of the reprofiled flow generated by the front wing, guiding it to its destination downstream. At the rear of the car, Ferrari opted to run its lower downforce configuration rear wing, and also tested a...

Ferrari may be in need of a dramatic turnaround in fortunes if it is to overhaul Mercedes for the world championship, but the scale of an upgrade it introduced in Russia shows it is far from giving up. Wholesale changes were on the menu for Ferrari in Russia, as the team introduced a significant update package for the front-end of the SF71H that hints at a new concept direction for the team.   Ferrari SF71H front wing Photo by: Giorgio Piola   Ferrari's new front wing blends the current concept, some ideas used by Red Bull and innovations that now make sense based on the team's understanding of the 2019 regulations. Ferrari's design team has incorporated the novel footplate solution...

Mercedes’ triumph in the Singapore Grand Prix owed a lot to Lewis Hamilton’s ‘stardust’ driving, but one hidden change on his car that we can reveal may have been key to helping him pull off his brilliant weekend. While rival Ferrari had a quick car at times, it was clear that tyre management - one of Mercedes’ weaknesses in the past - had turned to a strength around the Marina Bay circuit.  Analysis of qualifying laps showed that Mercedes was better able than Ferrari to prevent its tyres overheating in the final sector - so it gained crucial time there. In the race too, Hamilton was able to keep his tyres alive longer than Sebastian Vettel would have liked in...

Toro Rosso has never been a team afraid to do something different, and the Italian Grand Prix highlighted a design lead that has helped its straightline speed performance. Like sister team Red Bull, Toro Rosso has been well aware that the power deficit it suffers means it has to do all it can with its wings to try to help boost its straightline speed performance. While it did not go as aggressive as Red Bull in terms of the levels of downforce it ran at Monza, the team again opted for a unique DRS design element that has played a key part in helping keep it in the fight this year. The DRS pod actuator (arrowed) is different to other...