Riccardo Adami, who engineers Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, says “sharp” race and tyre strategies are needed at Spa-Francorchamps given the length and unpredictable nature of the Belgian Grand Prix venue.
Even if the local weather forecast for this weekend’s event is dry and warm, weather conditions have often played havoc in the Ardennes.
The Scuderia’s strategy calls have come under scrutiny this year after Vettel missed out on potential wins in Australia, Spain, and Canada. The four-time world champion also overruled his own team in Germany, though he later claimed he was wrong to do so.
“[Spa] is very challenging from a meteorological point of view” said Adami. “The weather is challenging: in the past, I remember having found a part of the circuit with the sun shining and the other part with rain. So, it’s important to be sharp in the strategy and tyres.”
Besides its fickle weather, Adami explains what makes the longest circuit of the season such a challenge for the teams.
“In this track we have the second sector with its high-speed corners, while the first and the last sectors are more for top-speed and long straights. Therefore, it’s always difficult to find the right wing level and to have the right aero efficiency in the first and last sector, not compromising too much the second sector where corners are.
“The braking system, even if it’s not too much stressed, is very important in this track, especially the last chicane in qualifying, because the drivers normally arrive there and it’s like without breathing and trying to take the last braking and the last few tenths, not destroying the whole qualifying lap.
“Spa is also very important regarding the Power Unit settings, because there’s lot of time in full throttle and also for the ERS: we need to find the right compromise for the energy through the lap.”
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