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• Engine restrictions hurt Ferrari in 2019 and 2020
• Chassis of Ferrari's 2020 car could be an issue
• Adopting a Red Bull design is hurting Ferrari
Former Formula 1 driver Marc Surer says Ferrari's top speed has been hurt by FIA restrictions while their change to a Red Bull rear "is very difficult to understand".
Last season rivals questioned the legality of Ferrari's power unit, resulting in the FIA issuing Technical Directives that closed loopholes and led to Ferrari's loss of power. Those TDs are still impacting their form this year.
Ferrari failed to shine during pre-season testing with reports suggesting that issue could be with the SF1000's chassis.
However, Surer reckons the engine is a big part of the problem.
Is Ferrari in trouble or are they masking their true pace? Email us with your thoughts.
Ferrari 2020 F1 car. Image: TeamTalk
Ferrari lagging
The former F1 driver believes Mercedes and Red Bull will head to the Red Bull Ring for round one of the season as the favourites with Ferrari looking to pick up the pieces.
He told F1-Insider.com: "Basically nothing will have changed significantly in the balance of power in the tests in February. And it was clear to see that Mercedes and Red Bull set the pace while Ferrari was lagging behind. They had to reduce the engine due to the FIA restrictions, which was clearly noticeable in Barcelona. Ferrari lacked top speed."
That, though, is not the only problem facing the Scuderia's SF1000.
READ: Toto Wolff calls out Ferrari for 'hiding' the true pace of their 2020 race car
Moving to a higher rear end, similar to past Adrian Newey designs, may have also thrown Ferrari off their game.
Surer added: "Ferrari has a new vehicle concept with a slightly higher rear. They copied the system from Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey. Such a car is very difficult to understand. It takes a lot of experience and kilometres that Ferrari don't have. Even the best simulator cannot make up for this shortcoming."
