Ferrari give Vettel new chassis for Spanish Grand Prix after 'small fault' found

Sebastian Vettel cut a bleak figure during the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix weekend, the Ferrari driver admitting he has “run out of answers” to explain his struggles. And in a bid to turn around his fortunes, the Scuderia are giving the German a new chassis for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix…

Vettel failed to score points for the second time this season last time out at Silverstone, while team mate Charles Leclerc excelled on his way to fourth. He made life hard for himself when he hit a kerb hard at Turn 1, spinning him round and sending him to the back of the field.

READ MORE: Vettel says Silverstone strategy did not 'make any sense' as ends up P12 after early spin

Following an investigation at the factory, Ferrari found an issue with the chassis caused by such an impact, and have opted to change it ahead of Barcelona, but stressed they don’t think the issue wasn’t fundamental.

“There will be no particular updates on the SF1000, however Sebastian will have a new chassis, because after the Silverstone post-race analysis, we spotted a small fault caused by a heavy impact over a kerb,” said Head of Chassis Engineering Simone Resta. “It would not have had much of an effect on performance, but it was the logical decision to take.”

The teams and Vettel know Barcelona very well, having completed thousands of miles at the venue during testing, and that should help the German hit the ground running from Friday practice.

“When you get to the Barcelona track you already know it will be a race where it’s the small details that make the difference,” said Vettel.

READ MORE: Binotto denies Ferrari sacrificed Vettel to help Leclerc's strategy in 70th Anniversary GP

“The teams and drivers all know this track very well and that’s why, right from the start of Friday free practice, you can work on fine-tuning the car.

"This circuit is quite different to Silverstone and I am curious to find out how the car will feel here.

“We can expect very high temperatures and so it will be important to find a set-up that allows you to have good speed without causing excessive tyre wear.”