Massa says: « In Shanghai, the McLaren F-Duct will be an advantage »

Felipe Massa fears that McLaren’s F-Duct system could seriously complicate his life during this weekend’s Grand Prix in China. The Ferrari driver believes that the aerodynamic innovation conceived by the Woking-based technical team could be a decisive advantage on the long straight of the Shanghai circuit.

Indeed, the straight line between turn 13 and the hairpin turn 14 is one of the longest in F1, allowing the cars to reach peak speeds exceeding 300 km/h.

It should be recalled that the F-Duct allows the driver to increase the car’s top speed by stalling the rear wing through the airflow channeled from the intake located at the front of the single-seater.

Already in Sepang, McLaren was able to take advantage of its system to set the pace from the free practice sessions. Indeed, the Malaysian track, just like the one in China, features long straights conducive to the F-Duct.

Felipe Massa is convinced that Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will have a huge boost on the straight this weekend. He even thinks that competitors might have to compromise their setups to try to contain the McLarens at full speed.

Regarding the Shanghai circuit, the Brazilian states:

« It’s a pleasant circuit to drive, and the very long straight followed by this tight corner shows that there is a real opportunity to overtake.

He specifies:

«However, we must be vigilant on this straight, especially this year, because we have seen that the McLarens, in particular, have a very high top speed, so in the event of close combat with them, we must be cautious and ready to defend our positions.»

Hamilton himself acknowledged that the length of this straight line would be a significant factor of luck for McLaren’s success: «Overtaking is possible on this circuit, especially at the end of the long straight, so I am quite confident as we are going to have another weekend where we will be competitive.»

The F-Duct system is therefore at the center of the technical concerns on the grid. Thus, Sauber officially presented today its own interpretation of this process. By eavesdropping in the paddock, it is said that Williams might have a similar device at an advanced stage of development.

Even the Scuderia Ferrari is working on its own system, but the team boss, Stefano Domenicali, stated in Malaysia that there is no need to rush the implementation of the F-Duct on the red cars.

It’s certain that we are working tirelessly at the factory because we have seen the advantage that seems to be very, very important in a straight line under certain conditions, with this aerodynamic action on the rear wing… We will install this process as soon as everything is reliable, and we are 100% sure that the system works he says.

Massa is confident about the new developments planned by Scuderia for the Chinese GP, he believes they will enable him to compete with McLaren and Red Bull.

He concludes:

I am also looking forward to counting on the few new elements we will have on the car. The goal is to improve performance and I hope it will prove effective in helping us in our battle, particularly with the Red Bull and McLaren.

At Ferrari, they want to convince themselves that the package, intended for Shanghai, will be enough to fight the competition. However, the general focus is on integrating the F-Duct on the single-seaters.

McLaren is intimidating with its top speed, can the British team maintain its advantage thanks to its innovation made in England?