Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene says the Scuderia’s current woes can be explained by the lack of improvements on the SF16-H chassis since the Spanish Grand Prix.
Ferrari was overhauled by Red Bull for second place in the Constructors’ championship at Hockenheim last weekend after another tough outing for Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
The Maranello-based outfit kicked off its 2016 Formula One campaign strongly but it has slipped down the competitive order over the course of the European leg of the season.
While Ferrari managed to introduce an efficient power unit upgrade in Montreal, which is the most recent race where the Scuderia genuinely challenged for the win, the car’s lack of downforce has been singled out as its main weakness.
“In Canada we reacted quite well with the engine,” Arrivabene told reporters after the German Grand Prix.
“But if I look at the situation now and I go back, I think we don't have great improvements in terms of downforce since Barcelona. That is the problem.
“You have two types of downforce… One is the aerodynamic downforce and the other is mechanical downforce. We have to work in both areas because they have to talk together because sometimes they talk different languages at the moment.”
Ferrari’s drop in performance has been compounded by technical director James Allison’s departure and recent overhauls, though Vettel insisted in Germany that the team has “the right people on board”.
“We are reorganising the team, without panicking because taking that decision means we are clear in mind what to do in terms of organisation,” Arrivabene added.
"And moving forward for the rest of the season we know as well very clearly the areas where we have to improve.
“I have to say they [Red Bull] have improved quite well, it is in front of all of us, and that is something that was on our mind.
“But that doesn't mean we are going to surrender during this period. We have to think about and to react.”
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