Here is the thing, Ferrari did not just show up in Austin with a few tweaks; they brought a very significant upgrade that completely reshaped parts of the machine. Now, Lewis Hamilton tried to keep expectations grounded during his Thursday press conference appearance by calling the new kit worth half a tenth. But looking at the sheer scope of the changes, it was hard not to feel like there was more to the story.
The engineering team went to work on multiple fronts. We saw significant changes applied to the floor body, the floor boards, the sidepod undercut, and the diffuser. That is a massive overhaul for a single weekend.
While the primary mission behind this entire package has been to boost rear end downforce, Ferrari claim it has also delivered increased load directly on the front of the floor. It is a wild amount of development to drop mid-season, and watching how these Italian beasts handle the track layout tells the real tale.
