Ferrari say they have had to take countermeasures against the high temperatures expected for this weekend's French Grand Prix. Much of Europe has been experiencing unusually hot weather over the past week, and temperatures are forecast to exceed 30 degrees Celsius for all three days' running at the Circuit Paul Ricard near Le Castellet in the south of France. With tyre wear and component usage a concern in such hot weather, Ferrari's Head of Aero Development, Diego Tondi, explained how the Scuderia are planning to maximise cooling across the SF-75.
Ferrari expect a "real challenge" at the French GP
"The high temperatures predicted for the French Grand Prix this weekend mean that ensuring the power unit and the tyres perform at their best is a real challenge and it's up to those working on the aerodynamics to take the appropriate countermeasures," said Tondi. "We will use a medium-high level of bodywork cooling, using the apertures of the cooling gills on the upper part of the bodywork and we will work on the brake ducts to maximise rim cooling, with the aim of getting heat away from the tyres. "The track characteristics mean that we would have been doing this anyway to contribute as much as possible to tyre management, but the hot conditions will make this task even more demanding. "As for the brakes, there are no particularly heavy braking points, so in terms of cooling for these components, the race at Paul Ricard is not a concern."
Ferrari winless at post-2018 Paul Ricard
Ferrari have not won at Paul Ricard since the circuit returned to F1 in 2018, but the Scuderia are currently riding the crest of a wave having won 2022's last two Grands Prix. With three wins under his belt so far in 2022, Charles Leclerc sits second in the Drivers' Championship with 170 points, 38 behind leader Max Verstappen. Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz took his maiden Grand Prix win earlier this month at the British Grand Prix, and is currently fourth in the standings with 133 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari are second with 303 points, some way adrift of leaders Red Bull on 358 points.
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