Ferrari is trying to understand, as the good Mattia Binotto would say. They have been trying in various ways for a few months now, convinced that the path of correction and development they have taken is the right one. The SF-23 has shown several weaknesses. Issues that effectively prevent the red car from expressing its full potential in this start of the 2023 Formula 1 championship.
Through the aeromechanical tests carried out during most of the free practice sessions that took place this year, the Italian technicians have collected an endless plethora of data, useful and necessary to develop an evolutionary step expected precisely this month. The unfortunate weather-related events have rightly swept away the Imola weekend, a race where we would have seen some interesting updates on the SF-23 challenger.
Everything has been postponed to Spain at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, a challenging track for the ground-effect cars, unlike Monaco where, given the characteristics of the Monte Carlo city circuit, validating any updates is very difficult. However, this doesn’t rule out the possibility of some updates, perhaps in terms of suspension, making an appearance along the streets of the Principality.
During the past week, the words of Jock Clear, the senior performance engineer of the Maranello team, have been reported by all the news media outlets. The British engineer emphasized the characteristics of the Italian car, discussing the current status of the red car. “The ride height relative to the reference plane (asphalt) has a huge influence on the entire aerodynamic load package.”
Ferrari: Jock Clear “explains” the SF-23 single-seater
Ferrari has to deal with the measures that the International Federation has implemented regarding the floor. The new specification used at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, USA has managed to widen the setup window of the car. However, this context is not enough to change things definitively. That’s what Jock Clear himself says. The work to regain consistency in performance and improve stability in the aerodynamic platform between medium-speed and high-speed remains significant.
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“The new floor helps bring the car into a better performance window,” comments the former race engineer of Kimi Raikkonen, who adds: “So far, the drivers have reported a ‘peaky’ behavior of the car, which has been partly modified thanks to the update. We need to eliminate this behavior. That’s the main goal at the moment, to make the car more predictable and increase the drivers’ confidence.” – the 59 year-old engineer pointed out.
Further changes will come between the races in Monaco and Spain, as mentioned, regarding the internal elements of the suspension. Specifically, the focus is on the response of these components. The dampers, responsible for dampening the oscillation when the suspension decompresses, are under scrutiny.
Ferrari SF-23: a new suspension system under evaluation
At the beginning of the season, the red car adopted suspension components produced by Öhlins Racing. Although the engineers decided to change the supplier from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the situation has not improved significantly. The new supplier, already tested for the future, should be Multimac, whose products are also present in some road-going Ferraris, such as the Purosangue and SF90, and are also used by Red Bull.
The technology used by the reigning world champion team is called DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve), while Ferrari currently adopts a DFV (Dual Flow Valve) scheme. Each of these devices has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the goal is to find the best use between these two solutions regarding the adopted suspension kinematics, as explained by F1 expert Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica.
From a purely aerodynamic point of view, in the coming weeks, we will observe some modifications in the sidepod area. The aim is to pay more attention to the area between the diffuser and the rear tire sidewall. This focus should ensure a performance recovery in terms of stability during the run.
Ferrari will not copy Red Bull, a term that is clearly inappropriate in this case. Considering the layout of the side-impact structure of the SF-23, in fact, using the RB19’s solution with a wide undercut is quite unrealistic, to use an understatement. Jock Clear also addressed this topic. Cleaning the flow in that area means reducing the extent of tire-squirt produced by the rear tires and improving the efficiency of the diffuser.
“The section located in front of the rear wheel controls the flow that goes outside or inside the tire and, consequently, towards the diffuser area. The changes are almost imperceptible but actually quite powerful in terms of aerodynamics.”
The British engineer hinted at Ferrari’s methodical analysis of the section of the floor located near the rear tires. It is a critical area on these cars to feed clean air to the diffuser. He also emphasized the importance of the interaction between the diffuser and the rear wing. These two components, along with the beam wing, work synergistically and constitute a key to increasing performance.
Lastly, let’s comment on another element: the level of understanding that the Prancing Horse has about its own car. This aspect was quite deficient already in the previous season. We know how complex the current cars are. However, teams like Mercedes have demonstrated a highly advanced ability to react, as observed during the 2022 Formula One racing campaign, through targeted and effective updates as soon as they hit the track.
In this regard, the Italian side has found itself in a situation of stagnation, not fully understanding the behavior of its own single-seater. While this scenario may not offer many guarantees for the future on one hand, once modified and definitively resolved, it could change the fate of the historic Maranello-based team. It remains to be seen, which we will do in the coming weeks, if this context will finally manifest itself once and for all.
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