What a beautiful car the Ferrari SF-23. A work of mechanical engineering produced entirely in Maranello. Italy launching the challenge to the British in practice, in this Anglo-centric Formula One with United States tinges. The work done over the winter has produced a car that follows the same design philosophy as the F1-75. However, there are areas of the 675 project that differ greatly.
We are talking mainly about the front, with revised shapes and concepts. Also for this reason, the winter pre-season testing session which took place last week at the Bahrain International Circuit showed us a Prancing Horse at a trot. Fast on the straight, struggling to express the right degree of lateral grip.
As we mentioned in the article relating to the lack of grip in certain areas of the Bahrain track, the Maranello team’s technicians have made a lot of efforts to increase aerodynamic efficiency. A key point to be able to to fight Red Bull in terms of top speed on the straights. Granting this characteristic to the SF-23, it seems, limited the development of cornering load.
Ferrari SF-23: the “problems” to solve
The plenty of data collected over the three days in the Middle East provided the necessary tools for the technicians to “understand” the Maranello car through the definition of the set-up window, a factor of crucial importance for maximizing performance in view of the first championship season round, which takes place this weekend in Sakhir.
This does not mean that the difficulties will disappear already in the next weekend. It will take some time, around 2/3 races, to optimize the project through some small aerodynamic corrections. On a mechanical level, it is a question of refining the front push rod suspension scheme in relation to the modifications on the chassis.
The Ferrari SF-23, in fact, has a center of mass closer to the reference plane (tarmac) than the F1-75. The will arises from the new relative location of the steering box to lower the track rod. The final objective of this provision is motivated by the distribution of weights.
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Then there is another decisive element on which very little was said during the tests in Bahrain: the power unit. This is a very incisive aspect, given that the time gained by raising the internal combustion unit/hybrid mappings is not subject to aerodynamic limitations.
Ferrari SF-23: the “hidden” power unit
The team of Ferrari engineers took advantage of the exemption granted by the International Federation on the reliability of the engine. A very smart move capable of providing the power unit with security for the future, eliminating the issues that actually negatively affected the 2022 performance.
The problem identified concerned the heat emission peak which was recorded in the initial phase inside the pre-chamber, a context to be avoided as it produces strong thermal and mechanical stresses. The internal combustion part of the PU 2023 therefore attenuates this peak to ensure a natural evolution over time.
The engine designers worked on ignition times to flatten the heat curve. In addition to this, an attempt was made to make the fuel inside the chamber more turbulent. This system has already been developed in recent years, when technical partner Mahle supplied Ferrari with the TJI (Turbulent Jet Ignition) system.
The mechanism refined in recent months, now capable of generating a highly turbulent flow, favors self-ignition in various points of the combustion chamber and automatically increases the thrust on the piston. As far as we know, the tests carried out on the track confirm these changes were in fact successful.
According to funoanalisitecnica.com, who reports about a conversation with a couple of engineers from within Ferrari, the feedback in this sense is really good. This is because, in addition to eliminating reliability problems, the work developed by the technical department on the power unit has brought some small advantages which, especially in the race, can make the difference.
This is not the place to discuss the maximum horsepower delivery of the 2023 power unit, between those gained by not having to limit the engine as was the case in the second part of the previous season and those gained during the winter. Yet, as confirmed by funoanalisitecnica.com, there are a lot of expectations from the power unit this season.
It’s no secret that the power units used during the first race of the season on the Ferrari SF-23 were limited. Certainly not for fears related to reliability, but rather in order not to reveal in advance one of the key weapons that the historic Italian team intends to use in 2023. It remains to be seen whether the expectations will get confirmations on track.
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