F1 Sprint, Ferrari: tyre overheating limits SF-23 performance

Scuderia Ferrari had an excellent Sprint Shootout but failed to capitalize on it in the Sprint race. The potential to snatch the pole was there, both for Carlos Sainz, just 23 milliseconds behind Max Verstappen, and especially for Charles Leclerc, who made a crucial mistake in turn nine just when it mattered most. The Monegasque driver lost at least four tenths with the error, which effectively relegated him to fourth place behind his Maranello teammate.

Let’s review the key moments and events from the Belgian Sprint race:

Here is the current weather condition in Belgium: the air temperature is 21.3°C, the track temperature is 29.4°C. Humidity is at 67%, and the wind is blowing from the southeast at 1.5 km/h. Although the weather conditions seemed to give a respite during the last minutes, the climate has worsened. This leads Carlos Sainz to discuss with Adami about the tire strategy. Before they could comment further, a heavy downpour hits the circuit.

This sudden change in weather disrupts all the preparations made beforehand. The Italian pit wall is, therefore, reevaluating the strategy while communicating in close contact with their drivers. The start of the F1 Sprint is further delayed, just like what happened with the qualifying session. The type of start to be chosen remains to be seen. The latest information suggests a start behind the Safety Car for at least two laps.

Ferrari seems to opt for the blue-banded Pirelli tires. Charles Leclerc notes that there are puddles on the starting grid, and therefore, a potential standing start would penalize some drivers. He asks to inform the FIA about this. Marcos reassures him, saying that the rolling start system will almost certainly be adopted. Moreover, the Monegasque driver notices something strange about the engine noise, but Xavi quickly dispels his concern.

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Carlos Sainz begins to explain the obligation to start with the Extreme tires, regarding any penalties if they stop too early to switch to intermediates. He also communicates the need to be very careful with Mercedes, asserting that they should open a significant gap over Hamilton to avoid problems. Finally, it seems that the starting procedures can begin. The formation lap is about to start as they prepare to ignite the cars.

Belgium GP 2023: F1 Sprint Ferrari SF-23
All the cars are revved up and ready to start the race. With over half an hour delay, the cars are on the move. The spray is so dense that through the video feeds of the red cars, little or nothing can be seen. After completing two laps behind Bernd Mayländer, they switch to race mode, but several laps are still completed in this mode. Leclerc informs that the visibility is not good, but the track conditions are.

The race engineers of the two “Carlos” compliment their drivers for their excellent tire management in these conditions. At the moment, it is the poor visibility that prevents the start of the 100km sprint race. The race director calls the Safety Car back in. There will be 11 laps of “passion”. Adami requests the flap adjust as soon as they change tires to switch to the green-banded Pirelli ones.

Ferrari splits its strategies: Carlos Sainz enters to make a tire change, while Charles decides to do one more lap with the extreme tires. The Spaniard suffers a delay due to a problem with a gun during his pit stop. When he returns to the track, he places himself in fourteenth position, just behind Hamilton. Meanwhile, the Monegasque driver, on the next lap after his pit stop, is sent back onto the track too hastily and almost makes contact with a Williams car.

Following the tire changes, Carlos Sainz positions himself in sixth place, just ahead of his teammate Charles. Several suggestions are given to help the Ferrari drivers, including being cautious in turns 6/7 to avoid overheating at the rear. Suddenly, in turn 11, Fernando Alonso loses control of his car and crashes into the barriers. Safety Car again. Marcos asks Charles Leclerc about the possibility of switching to slicks. The Ferrari driver, almost surprised, answers: “Noooooo.”

Even under the Safety Car, the Ferrari drivers are asked to manage the tires in turns 10/11 and 14, as the rear temperature is still too high under these conditions. There is a lot of work involved in managing the compounds properly. K2 is turned on to provide an additional boost, and the race restarts with 6 laps remaining, with the two SF-23s still in sixth and seventh positions. Nothing notable happens, and the red cars continue to chase the Mercedes of the seven-time world champion.

Two laps later, taking advantage of the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez, the two Ferraris attack the Mexican driver and both pass him. However, the rear axle continues to overheat, limiting the performance of the Italian cars. The Mercedes man is unleashed and goes on the attack against Pierre Gasly, who is in third place, bringing the two red cars with him. In this phase, Leclerc seems to have some difficulty in understanding the tire situation compared to his teammate.

With two laps to go, Lewis Hamilton receives a 5-second penalty for causing a collision. This means that both Ferrari cars can finish ahead of the multiple-title-winning Mercedes driver considering the current gap. And so it happens, bringing home important points, so to speak, in the constructors’ fight against the team from Brackley.

An F1 Sprint heavily influenced by the bad weather that Ferrari did not manage to its fullest potential. During the only pit stop, the red cars lost positions: Carlos Sainz due to a tire problem on the rear axle, Charles Leclerc due to traffic. Moreover, the rear of the SF-23 single-seater was subject to considerable overheating, which effectively slowed down the pace. A mini-race to be stored with a bitter taste, knowing that once again, more could have been done at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot.