The focus is on aerodynamics, but there is also talk of a change to the rear suspension. Scuderia Ferrari are trying to deal with the repercussions of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as Carlos Sainz finished sixth just ahead of his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc at the checkered flag.
Looking at the order of arrival, it seems we have been transported back to the bad 2020 Formula One season with the infamous SF-1000, while Maranello’s expectations ahead of the current championship were to go on and attack Red Bull in the battle for the titles. It is all too clear that between the predictions of a possible victory and the defeat suffered at the Jeddah Corniche circuit there are a lot of questions awaiting precise answers, because Ferrari cannot be the one seen in the first two world championship appointments, otherwise it would be better just to throw this car in the garbage bin and think about 2024.
The Ferrari SF-23 cannot afford to operate on track at the ride heights for which it was designed and settings higher than two millimeters are enough to change the encouraging data which was seen in the simulations carried out in the wind tunnel and in the simulator work during the winter. The SF-23 loses aerodynamic load and, therefore, having less vertical thrust, lacks grip and the tires begin to slide, triggering that degradation which causes a further loss of performance, even on a track with little abrasive asphalt and where the tires should not be a problem.
There are those who suggest that the root of the problem is still caused by the notorious Technical Directive 39/22, the FIA standard which changed the technical regulation, starting with last year’s Belgian Grand Prix and which affected the pace of the F1-75 with the anti porpoising metric and, above all, with the constraints introduced on the flexing of the floor board.
If this were the case, it would be serious, very serious, given that other teams brilliantly made up for the loss of downforce (evaluated at about half a second). To attempt to definitively cancel out porpoising, the FIA imposed a change in the height of the floor, which is now 15mm higher on the side edge than the reference plane, as well as a 10mm higher diffuser groove.
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The lack of downforce prompted the Maranello engineers to choose a more loaded rear wing than Jeddah would have required: we found ourselves in front of a strange situation. In Bahrain the SF-23 ran more unloaded than necessary and on the shores of the Red Sea it had more drag to compensate for the lack of vertical thrust. Quite the opposite with respect to the characteristics of the tracks.
Thus, the Ferrari was no longer the fastest on the straights and gained some cornering performance (a feature in which the F1-75 was impressive), losing, however, in some corners at a certain speed, where the ground effect that must play its part.
The modified floor that was tested in free practice was not used for the rest of the Jeddah weekend, while the more out-wash-friendly front wing bulkhead and rear wing with mono-pylon were part of the upgrade package.
Enrico Cardile is convinced that the deficiency is a set-up and aerodynamic factor, but the technical office staff is also working on a modification of the rear suspension which could help to find a better balance in the development of the Ferrari car. There is talk of an arm anchored to the gearbox in a different way to favor the anti-squat effect and prevent the rear end from crouching under acceleration, keeping the car with a more stable ground clearance.
In short, in Maranello they believe that the SF-23 can express a potential that has not yet been unlocked: they are convinced that the SF-23 is not wrong, but needs an accurate data correlation and fine-tuning work between minimum heights from the ground, suspension stiffness and wing loading.
Let’s not forget that the principles on which the car was designed have been changed, while maintaining the concept of the sidepods with the excavation which, perhaps, has reached its development limit. Unlike the sidepods that exploit the Coanda effect, that seem to have more margin of growth.
We recall that last year’s Ferrari was very fast in the corners and lacking on the straight (a lot of downforce and little aerodynamic efficiency), while this year’s car is the exact opposite. Even with the constraints of the budget cap there is an attempt to react to the difficult moment and internally Fred Vasseur is trying to keep a group united to deal with the huge pressure.
This is also why the attacks from outside that have been targeting Ferrari in recent weeks have also ceased. There’s no need for them.
