How Ferrari has engineered itself into a hole

Ferrari opted to make major changes to its design philosophy for 2018, but the opening practice sessions in Australia suggest it has work to do to get the most out of its aggressive approach.

Edd Straw Mar 23, 2018, 12:34 PM

Upd: Mar 23, 2018, 12:55 PM

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The 2018 Ferrari is a good grand prix car, no question. But what it isn't is the car to build on last year's run at the world championship - yet. This means Ferrari heads into the business end of the Australian Grand Prix weekend looking like the big three's number three.

Sebastian Vettel was upbeat after practice, but the facts of the first day of serious running this season don't paint an encouraging picture. Almost three tenths off on one-lap pace, just over three tenths down on race pace and behind customer team Haas, and aerodynamic experiments involving back-to-backing its 2018 front wing with a version of last year's are evidence that all is not well at Maranello.