F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo Will Find Belgian GP Incredibly Difficult

F1 teams are about to face some serious challenges at Spa. This could mean double trouble for Daniel Ricciardo and AlphaTauri.

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is going to be complicated considering the compression at Eau Rouge. The F1 cars are sensitive to drag levels, ride height, and downforce so for the teams to get the perfect setup in FP1, it is going to be an uphill task. 

The new format of the race requires the changes on the F1 cars to be locked after FP1, before the pack heads into qualifying. If changes occur thereafter, it will result in a pit lane start for the Sprint and Grand Prix races.

That means the engineers will only have one shot to get their settings right during the practice session. If they get their calculations wrong, their drivers would either prove to be slow in corners for most parts of the track, or, they would be unable to defend their position on the long bit from Eau Rouge and Raidillon. 

The setting of the F1 car also depends on where it is placed on the grid. For example, cars starting at the front can focus on the twisty bit in the second sector for which, more downforce is needed. Cars starting way behind can focus on more straight-line speed and less downforce.

What makes all of this a lot trickier for Formula 1 teams is the addition of new parts that they would be bringing in at Spa. They're going to have to rely heavily on simulation tools to figure out how the car's performance would react to the new parts.

Spa usually demands a lower drag spec for cars that often include track-tailored brake ducts or new wings. Teams like Alpine receive a general update like a new floor which they would have to learn about. 

Not only upgrades, but the new Pirelli tire construction is also something that is new to the teams. Introduced at the British Grand Prix where teams ran the harder C2 while the Hungarian Grand Prix saw them opt for the softest C4, they still have a lot to understand about the new tires. 

Adding to the tip of all the challenges is another one that completes the 'uncertainty package' perfectly. The weather forecast shows a high chance of rain during FP1, thus making it almost impossible to make the right choices for the weekend. 

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has expressed a similar concern. He said:

“The biggest concern for us is a wet FP1, which often happens there over the years.

“Obviously we’re going a bit earlier this year before the August break.

"You're going to rely a lot on your simulation tools. We're still learning with these tyres, and you're going to go straight into a weekend when you commit to your low fuel, high fuel and wet set-up all with one session at a pretty unique track. I think we’re in reasonable shape.”

However, along with the new parts, the Sprint weekend at Spa, and new tires, Scuderia AlphaTauri has also got a new driver. Daniel Ricciardo is still getting used to his AT04 F1 car and getting everything right for the weekend could be a mountain of a task for the team. AlphaTauri chief race engineer Jonathan Eddolls said:

“All sprint weekends are more of a challenge, it's the same for everyone. I think you need to put more emphasis on your pre-event and simulator work. And if you've got a good simulator, you can hit the ground running.

"Obviously for Daniel, it'll be more of a challenge. He's still learning about the car. We go to a very different downforce level, and very different track, harder tyres, cooler temperatures.

"I think it's going to be a case of we will try to get the set-up as close as we can to start, and then we'll just give him the laps and tune the balance probably with aero balance through FP1.”

AlphaTauri is getting a new wing for Spa but Eddolls is confident about getting most of it right through simulation. Scuderia Ferrari Principal Fred Vasseur talks on similar lines as the format served his team well at Baku and Spielberg. He said:

“The format is different.

"But so far I think we did pretty well on the sprint race when you have just one FP1 before the quali, Baku and Spielberg went pretty well.

"I hope it will be the same at Spa. I think we are pretty advanced, all the teams, with the simulation. We know where we are.”

However, the scenario seems to favour only those teams with the best simulation tools- teams that often finish in the top ten. The other teams will have to look at other options to formulate their settings and strategies.