F1 | Ferrari and Pirelli testing session in Spain: an opportunity for SF-23 Evo

Despite Ferrari probably wanting to leave Barcelona as soon as possible after a disappointing Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, the men from Maranello had to wait before packing their bags. The red team, in fact, took part in the scheduled testing session with Mercedes, organized by Pirelli. These two days, aimed at assessing the behavior of different tire compounds, also provided an excellent opportunity for the Maranello technicians to try to understand the crisis of identity that the SF-23 is going through.

The results from Montmeló have revealed a verdict for all: there is a lack of correlation between wind tunnel data and track performance. It’s a nagging issue that has haunted Ferrari for years and has caused more than a headache for the engineers of the Scuderia in this 2023 Formula One season.

The updated version of the SF-23 seemed to suffer from tire degradation equal to, if not more than, the previous version seen up until Monaco. The engineers were puzzled about where those promised four-tenths of a second, according to simulations, had gone in Barcelona.

Ferrari makes use of the track to improve SF-23 Evo
Before discussing the Pirelli tests, a clarification is necessary. The SF-23 was primarily made available to the technicians of the Italian tire supplier to collect data on the new tires.

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However, it should be noted that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed a total of 314 laps, equivalent to more than four Grand Prix distances, thus gathering crucial data for understanding the “Evo” version of the red car.

While simulations are still confusing, the feedback obtained from the track has always been effectively used by the engineers of the racing department. Therefore, what better opportunity than this to try to decipher an evolutionary package that, on paper, was supposed to take a step forward, following in the footsteps of Mercedes.

It is not surprising, at the same time, that Charles Leclerc, after the first day of testing, quickly returned to Maranello to simulate the information collected on the track. On the other hand, Carlos Sainz, the protagonist of the second day, had the chance to test the 2024 tires, designed to be used without the use of tire warmers. The Spanish driver hit the track with non-preheated tires, thus getting a taste of what is expected by the regulations for the next Formula One season.