Ferrari are reported to be up to eight kilograms lighter than Red Bull at present, blowing previous estimations out of the water if the new figures are to be believed.
Previously, it was thought that both Red Bull and Ferrari weighed between 806-808kg as they tried to bring that number down towards the regulation 798kg set by the FIA this season.
Further, the Milton Keynes side are bringing an upgrade to the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend that is said to be taking 7kg off the RB18’s weight, theoretically putting them within 3kg of the limit.
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Now though, Auto Motor und Sport claim that sources close to the Austrian outfit are suggesting that they think Ferrari are significantly lighter than them, leaving ambiguity as to whether the Scuderia are almost there in terms of weight-saving, or whether Red Bull might still be sitting at over 810kg.
Either way, Dr Helmut Marko confirmed previously that the changes this weekend will still not be enough to reach the maximum weight limit.
“We plan our updates in such a way that we always lose weight with each update, because unfortunately we still haven’t reached the minimum weight and we won’t quite reach it with the next update either,” he said.
Mattia Binotto’s Ferrari team are also implementing changes to their car this weekend in a move that sees them introduce a new, lighter floor, as well as a diffuser to help stabilise the car and limit “porpoising.”
Slight wing and sidepod alterations are also anticipated, and the Italian confirmed that, partly due to the $140 million cost cap, his team are being relatively circumspect with their development rate.
“We have not developed since the start of the season, we will have some upgrades certainly in Barcelona. And I hope that those upgrades will put us back in a closer fight,” he explained.
Having seen Red Bull bring major upgrades that have helped Max Verstappen each of the last two races in Imola and Miami, Binotto suggested that the Milton Keynes-based side will have to cease development sooner than his team.
“Red Bull spent money, so I hope at some stage with the budget cap, they will stop developing while we got some upgrades available,” he explained.
Dr Marko refuted this, explaining that the costs incurred by Carlos Sainz’s crashes “can’t be cheap.”
“I don’t think so,” added the Austrian.
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“It’s true that the increased logistics costs are a problem. But it’s not just us, it’s Ferrari and all the other teams.”
Ferrari are also set to present the FIA with a document detailing everyone’s expenditures in the early going of the season to correlate them with the governing body’s estimation of how much each upgrade should cost.