The year 2023 has delivered a particularly intense first part of the season in terms of development, even more so than the previous year. There are two main trends observed before the summer break. Some, like Red Bull, have concentrated on refining an already effective concept, while other teams have departed from their initial setup, as seen with Ferrari and Mercedes. The common thread among all the teams, however, has been the parallel development of sidepods and the floor, highlighting the close aerodynamic interaction between these two areas.
Red Bull
The reigning world champions have primarily invested in slimming down the side air intakes. This is a strategic move not only from a technical standpoint but also from a sporting one, as the analysis of internal cooling ducts goes beyond the wind tunnel time limit. In addition to updates to the floor, it’s worth noting the diffuser introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix. Red Bull is also the team that has brought the most versions of brake cooling ducts, which are also useful for controlling tire temperatures.
Bahrain: /
Jeddah: Rear wing, beam wing.
Australia: Front wing, aerodynamic air intake for rear brakes.
Baku: Side radiator air intakes, side edge of the floor, Venturi channel vanes, rear wheel flaps.
Miami: /
Monaco: Rear wing.
Barcelona: Floor, diffuser.
Canada: Front wing.
Austria: Rear suspension elements fairings.
Silverstone: Front brake cooling ducts.
Hungary: Engine cover and side air intakes, floor, front and rear brake cooling ducts, aerodynamics of rear wheel assemblies.
Spa: Engine cover (reduced rear cooling).
Ferrari
The first part of Scuderia Ferrari’s season was mainly devoted to understanding a car that was initially perplexing. In Spain, the team began the process of correcting the initial concept, moving towards the steep sidepods in a Red Bull style and updating the underbody. In total, five floors have been fitted to the SF-23 since its presentation. In the first twelve races, Ferrari also converted the various rear wings to a single support pillar and abandoned the elongated keel solution of the diffuser.
Bahrain: High downforce rear wing.
Jeddah: Front wing, floor, beam wing.
Australia: /
Baku: Low downforce rear wing.
Miami: Floor, Venturi channels, and diffuser.
Monaco: Rear wing.
Barcelona: Floor, sidepods, and engine cover, rear wing.
Canada: /
Austria: Front wing, Venturi channel vanes, floor, undercut sidepods, diffuser.
Silverstone: Beam wing.
Hungary: Front wing.
Spa: Rear wing.
Mercedes
Contrary to their approach in previous years, Mercedes has consistently brought updates to almost every race. Nonetheless, two substantial packages of innovations have been introduced to modify the concept of the W14, focusing on sidepods and the floor. The first debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix, while the second was introduced between the Budapest and Spa races. Great attention has also been given to the rear wings to reduce drag and improve straight-line speed.
Bahrain: Rear wing.
Jeddah: Venturi channel vanes, rear wing flap.
Australia: /
Baku: Rear wheel deflectors, exit section of front brake ducts, suspension triangle fairing.
Miami: /
Monaco: Repositioning of the upper front suspension triangle, sidepods, radiator inlets, engine cover, vertical floor vanes, rear wing, aerodynamics of rear wheel assemblies.
Barcelona: Aerodynamics of side mirrors, outer diffuser vanes.
Canada: Removal of lower rearview mirror strakes.
Austria: /
Silverstone: Front wing.
Hungary: Streamlining of front suspension attachments, front wing endplates, rear wing endplates.
Spa: Side air intakes, sidepods, floor, rear wing.
Leave a Reply