Sebastian Vettel will have a new Ferrari SF1000 chassis at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix after a “small fault” was found in the car the German used at Silverstone last week.

It proved a difficult weekend for the four-time world champion who finished outside of the points in 12th.

He was critical of the strategy employed by the team, which saw him rejoin from his first pit stop in traffic, and also had a spin after clouting the apex kerb at Abbey.

“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 Ferrari’s 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.”

Both teams and drivers are intimately familiar with the Barcelona circuit, where all pre-season testing was held this year, and will therefore head into the event with a solid foundation setup.

“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.

“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.”

Vettel currently sits 13th in the championship with just 10 points to his name, less than a quarter of the tally accumulated by team-mate Charles Leclerc.

He is also in the midst of the longest podium dry patch since 2008, having gone eight races since his last top three result (Mexico, 2019).

The Spanish Grand Prix gets underway with opening practice starting at 19:00 AEST on Friday.