Ferrari concluded the planned Filming Day at Fiorano: the two drivers, Carlos Sainz in the morning and Charles Leclerc in the afternoon, split the 100 km permitted for the authorized promotional filming session. The marketing department of the Prancing Horse had their hands full meeting the demands of sponsors, but the track activity wasn’t just a mere “carousel” for producing cinematic material. Several technicians were present to oversee the operations.
In fact, the Scuderia aimed to combine two aspects: the need to gather promotional material while Enrico Cardile’s team evaluated the new aerodynamic package and more. The work progressed gradually: Carlos Sainz initially took to the track with a standard SF-23 to collect data and make comparisons with wind tunnel and simulator data.
It should be noted that the side air intakes for radiator heat dissipation were deeper than those seen in Spain and Canada. The reason is rather simple, as the Red Bull Ring, where the race will take place on Sunday, is located at an altitude of about 700 meters. Therefore, the air will be thinner, which means it will require an enhancement of the power unit’s cooling system.
After a lengthy break, Carlos Sainz returned to the track with a new front wing. The most noticeable aspect is certainly the shape of the sideplate, which is more rounded at the top compared to its previous squared design. Not only that, but the mounting points of the flaps to the endplate have been redesigned to achieve an increasingly exaggerated outwash effect. The intention is clear: redirect more airflow to the outside of the front wheel to better control its wake, which otherwise produces troublesome turbulence.
Inside the sideplate, at the lower part near the trailing edge, a small horizontal flap has appeared, reminiscent of Red Bull’s style. In line with the emphasis on the outwash effect, even the flaps have a downward slope towards the endplate, with a slight increase in the chord of the wing section closest to the nose. The main profile showcases a newly designed spoon shape, but the most significant modification is a significant reduction in chord in favor of a larger second element, following concepts that have already proven successful elsewhere.
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In the afternoon, it was Charles Leclerc’s turn to test the SF-23 equipped with the new floor, with the most interesting updates focusing on the front section. The outermost “flow deflector” is new, aiming to effectively control the turbulence generated by the front wheel and prevent the malevolent vortices from contaminating the subsequent low-pressure zone.
As Ferrari now follows a development path aligned with Red Bull, they haven’t hesitated to adopt other details from the RB19. The fences that divide the Venturi channels are positioned differently and, most notably, protrude from the floor with a rounder design.
Therefore, the Scuderia took advantage of the filming day to conduct a sort of initial practice session for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, considering that with the new Sprint race format on Fridays, there will only be one session to fine-tune the car before the afternoon qualifying session. If the solutions prove successful for use in Styria (not all may be utilized), the two drivers will focus solely on finding the best setup for the Spielberg track.
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