Following the first race of twenty-three calendar, which is the “longest championship in history” as Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur defined it, we need to make the first balance. Among the top teams, the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season for Red Bull was positive, which was clearly expected based on the data from the pre-season testing session.
We can now also add Aston Martin on this list, while Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes flopped. A much better start to the season was expected from the Italian team, even by the Maranello engineers themselves, considering the excellent numbers coming out of the simulator, which prompted CEO Benedetto Vigna to issue a very aggressive statement on the day of the presentation of the SF-23. It is no coincidence that there is now a certain disorientation within the Italian team.
Ferrari SF-23: the front is limited but is there a problem with how porpoising is triggered?
Once put on the track, the SF-23 did not confirm the good impressions shown in the ‘virtual’ world, so much so that it improved only 6 tenths of a second in qualifying and practically nothing compared to the then excellent F1-75 in race set-up. Red Bull instead improved by almost a second, compared to the much understeering RB18 which started the 2022 F1 campaign being overweight.
The Ferrari SF-23 challenger seen at the Sakhir circuit had no problems with the ailerons specifications, which were the ones chosen for racing and even the single pylon rear wing would not have worked miracles in terms of configuration. The lack of stability of the front is an unexpected problem, just like the excessive porpoising. Not that the bouncing was a new phenomenon for Scuderia Ferrari or the other teams, but it is the point where this is activated, which is fundamental. In short, all cars would have porpoising if they ran very aggressive with the mechanical set-up (low ground clearance and soft suspension). The problem is how much a car loses in finding the compromise for not having it or making it problematic even for the internal components of the car.
The later it appears, the more you can soften the car at the same heights from the ground, something Ferrari worked a lot on during testing, so much so that in some runs we saw very pronounced bouncing; a compromise was found which allowed it to reduce the height from the ground, thus finding more aerodynamic load (front and rear) but with much too rigid mechanics. The setup was taken to the limit so much that with an empty tank, therefore with a freer rear, the bouncing returned on the SF-23 car of Carlos Sainz in the final stages of the race.
The SF-23 raced outside the ideal/virtual window in Bahrain, hence the lower gain than what was reported by the simulation tools, but there was no further potential. Very rigid mechanics, alongside inadequate load levels, albeit optimized for what the new Italian car allowed, created a huge difference in performance from Red Bull especially in the slow parts of the Sakhir track and which the extra grip of the rubber in qualifying has only partially masked. Then in the race the limits came out clearly.
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Ferrari is absolutely convinced of the aerodynamic concept of the SF-23
Aerodynamic bouncing is a problem that has been gripping Ferrari since the start of last season and which has never really disappeared on the F1-75. At the end of the previous season, Ferrari was the top team that suffered the most, albeit to a much lesser extent than at the start of the season, also due to the Technical Directive 39/22.
The fact that the problem reappeared in such an important way on the SF-23, limiting the structures at least in Bahrain, may suggest that it is linked to the unique aerodynamic concept chosen by Ferrari. As if post TD39, that particular concept is limited in a certain sense by the trigger of porpoising. At Ferrari, however, they deny that it is a matter of aerodynamic concept, as explained by F1 experts Piergiuseppe Donadoni and Giulano Duchessa for formu1a.uno.
“We are absolutely convinced of our concept.” – team boss Fred Vasseur confirmed during the press conference following the Bahrain Grand Prix when asked by the media. “I am convinced that we will not have to move in another direction.” The lack of correlation in performance would in fact derive from virtual setups which then could not be used on the track. It is no coincidence that Fred Vasseur spoke of “setup issues and some choices we made on the car.” in the post-race, associating everything with the fact that Bahrain is a somewhat extreme circuit and which tends to amplify the critical issues.
From this point of view, the next round, which will take place on the Jeddah track, should be more favorable to the SF-23. Smoother asphalt, less tire degradation, with an easier set-up compromise. We could therefore expect a smaller gap between the SF-23 and the RB19. However, according to Fred Vasseur, the picture seen in Bahrain shouldn’t change much. “Whether it will be necessary to see two or three different races to get a clearer picture? No, what we saw in Bahrain is already the general picture we should expect”. However, it will remain very interesting to see how Ferrari takes to the track.
The focus is now on understanding and planning development, to extract the maximum potential from a concept that did not work as it should have in Bahrain. While at the same time being aware that the 2024 project will start soon and if there are any doubts, they must be clarified as quickly as possible.
