Apr.7 (GMM) Kimi Antonelli has suggested Ferrari may already have been given a green light to close the engine gap to Mercedes – but other reports indicate that is not yet the case.
Speaking to Sky Italia during the April break, the championship leader hinted that a major shift could be coming as soon as Miami.
“I know there will be some big changes – even the ADUO was granted to Ferrari, for example, which will allow them to develop the engine,” said the Mercedes driver.
“They will definitely get much closer, because their car is already strong, so if they can also improve the engine, they will get even closer.
“But I’m not too worried. Ultimately, once I get on track, I’ll focus on doing what I’ve done in the past weekends – trying to go as fast as possible, focusing on myself and focusing on what I have to do, on the goal that is set every weekend.
“Then I’m sure that we will also bring some pretty important updates,” Antonelli added. “The car is already strong and there’s a good dynamic in the team, so I’m not too worried, but I know that the other teams will catch up sooner or later.”
However, according to Eurosport Italia, Antonelli’s understanding may be premature. The FIA has reportedly not yet granted access to the ADUO system, with evaluations set to take place only after the Miami GP on May 3.
Any engine-related upgrades would then likely appear later, potentially as late as Monaco in early June.
Ferrari drivers have made clear where they believe the deficit lies.
“We are massively behind Mercedes,” Lewis Hamilton said.
“I don’t know why. I don’t understand how they manage to get so much more power out of the engine. Maybe we’ll figure that out.”
Red Bull is also chasing answers, though its issues appear more complex. “The bodywork is quite a bit behind,” former advisor Dr Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
“But Red Bull has a tradition of turning these situations around. It’s just that the regulations are too complicated and the software is too dominant.”
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