In Bahrain, an SF-23 car with a less than perfect aerodynamic set-up and balance did not allow Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to challenge Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, as the Ferrari driver had a race pace far inferior to the two RB19 cars. The 2023 Ferrari F1 car, as also revealed in the winter pre-season testing session, suffers from high degradation of the rear tyres, an issue which was then made even worse by the particularly selective characteristics of the Sakhir track.
The one week break that separates the second round of the season, scheduled for Sunday in Jeddah, is too short a period of time to think that Ferrari will introduce decisive developments already in Saudi Arabia.
But an update actually already exists. You will remember how, during the first Free Practice in Bahrain, a new rear wing was tested on Charles Leclerc’s SF-23. Specifically, it was a specimen supported by a single pylon, then discarded due to problems related to excessive flexibility.
The single-pillar rear wing wing is back
As reported by Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the single-pylon wing will make its return at the Jeddah Corniche circuit next weekend. Specifically, a reinforced version will be fitted to the car during the first free practice session with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the floor. Thanks to a different direction of the aerodynamic flows, in fact, this component would make it possible to favor traction by shifting the center of pressure towards the rear. Moreover, it is a solution already successfully adopted by Red Bull and Aston Martin and it is not surprising that Ferrari will insist on this version.
The rear wing, as well as on a structural level, will also be revised in in terms of incidence of the flaps. The Saudi Arabian race track is among the fastest on the calendar and therefore imposes a higher main profile than seen in Bahrain.
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More generally, the characteristics of the circuit should be less unfavorable for Scuderia Ferrari. In fact, in Jeddah, the front tires will be the most stressed. In the winter pre-season testing session the Maranello team showed good management of the front end in terms of degradation, which could lead the engineers to be more daring in terms of set-up. Beware of porpoising, though. Last year the annoying bouncing affected a lot of cars in the race and Ferrari does not seem to have completely eliminated the problem yet.
To overcome this inconvenience, two basic setups were decided from the simulator to be tested on the track in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend. Specifically, the goal is to reduce the variations in height from the ground which in Sakhir caused evident longitudinal load transfers, leading to a loss of aerodynamic load generated by the bottom and the consequent bouncing.
A more adequate and less “compromising” set-up should allow Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to express the true potential of the single-seater. All while waiting to find out if the Monegasque will have to serve the first penalty of the season following the replacement of the ECU due to the technical failure suffered in the first round of the 2023 F1 championship.
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