How will Imola drama, BoP affect Ferrari at Spa Saturday?
When Ferrari failed to split its tactics at the Imola World Endurance Championship Six Hour in Italy two weeks ago, it laid itself bare to success penalties without coming close to winning the race. That’s now come to bear, as the Italian brand’s 499Ps took the biggest Balance of Performance hit for this weekend’s Spa 6 Hour.
Imola winners Toyota, and second placed Porsche have therefore been handed a gift. While they scored crucial Imola results, their lack of pace versus the red and yellow trio sees them take less of a penalty. Now Ferrari is worst off as it heads to the final stop on this year’s Road to Le Mans.
Ferrari takes a 12-kilogram 4-kilowatt Spa hit
Ferrari’s Imola pace has earned its cars 12 kilograms extra ballast for Spa. At the same time that the 499Ps were docked four kilowatts. Imola winners Toyota, as well as the second placed, championship leading Porsches, only gain four kilograms, while losing just a kilowatt.
So the black, and white and red cars are now per se the Spa favourites. The Porsches perhaps more so. Considering that they were quicker than the Toyotas at Imola. And all courtesy of another famous Ferrari strategy blunder. The quickest cars of the lot now sit compromised by team capitulation around those home race showers.
Considering the Spa BoP ebb & flow
The rest of the teams have also all been more subtly affected by the BoP ebb and flow since Imola. They should however deliver more or less similar performance envelopes at Spa. Which will make BMW and Lamborghini’s progress most interesting. Especially the Bavarian cars. Which came into the mix for the first time at Imola.
Cadillac, Peugeot, Alpine, and Isotta Fraschini were all affected by the first lap crash at Imola. So their real performance is all a bit of a mystery. And that leaves the mid-pack difficult to predict ahead of Spa.
Can Rossi win a first big car race in Belgium?
Further back in GT3, the Imola winning BMWs, Qatar winning Porsches and Ferrari 299s have all escaped BoP sanction. But the Aston Martins and new Ford Mustangs have been adjusted. Will Valentino Rossi win his first 4-wheeled world championship race at Spa? Like many other things, time will tell!
Looking a little down the Road to Le Mans in closing, Ferrari’s Imola cloud could very well have a silver lining after all. Should the Italian cars prove off the pace at Spa, that would earn the red and yellow machines a crucial reprieve come the pre-Le Mans BoP adjustment in the weeks leading up to the 24 Hour. So, all is not yet lost for the Tifosi.