Ferrari using final filming day to test Imola upgrade package

Ferrari will be up and running today and on Friday at Fiorano to shake down a new aero package that the team will introduce next week at Imola.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will each have an opportunity to sample the significant revisions across the two-day test that will take place within F1’s restrictive filming day provisions.

F1 teams are allowed two such days during the year when they can run a current-spec car for a maximum of 200 km per day on special Pirelli demonstration tyres.

The Scuderia will therefore use its second and final filming day, split across Thursday and Friday, to gear up for next week’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

While these runnings are obviously restrictive, they will still offer Ferrari a valuable opportunity to compare the real-world performance of the team’s upgrades to the virtual simulations and wind tunnel data generated by Enrico Cardile's technical team.

• Read also: Leclerc foresees big F1 upgrade battle after McLaren win in Miami

The new package will reportedly feature revised sidepods similar to Red Bull's RB20 concept, slimmer radiator openings for improved airflow, a completely redesigned floor for enhanced downforce, and a revamped front wing to optimize aerodynamic performance and balance.

“It will be a very important upgrade,” commented Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur in Maimi last weekend.

“It will determine how the rest of our season plays out. I’m looking forward to that and I hope that we can take a big step forward.

“It’s going to be an arms race of upgrades this year, and I’m glad that we’ll soon have new parts on our car that will hopefully be as good as McLaren’s.”

Vasseur doesn’t expect the package to deliver a “game changing” boost but given the tightness of the battle at the head of the field, any incremental improvement is welcome.

“We don't have to expect that it will be a game-changer, but it's so tight that this can bring performance,” he added.

“It’s an opportunity for us because that if we are doing another small step, I think that we will be really in a position to fight with them [Red Bull] every single weekend.”

Vasseur was asked whether the timing of Ferrari’s upgrade was meant to coincide with the Italian outfit’s first home race.

"The fact that Imola is close to the factory is helping us bring something, because we can release the parts a bit later,” he replied.

"But no, it was nothing to do with Italy."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter