Ferrari: an initial assessment of SF-23 mechanical aspects and floor flexibility at Fiorano

Ferrari: an initial assessment of SF-23 mechanical aspects and floor flexibility at Fiorano. An initial assessment of SF-23 mechanical aspects.

The new Formula 1 car from Maranello has completely changed its skin in terms of mechanics compared to the recent past. Especially at the front area of the car, Ferrari has transformed a suspension that was too cautious in terms of kinematics, into a version that is more in step with the times. Nothing revolutionary when compared to that of its direct competitors but certainly a big step forward, also admitted by Enrico Cardile, compared to the specification mounted on the F1-75 car.

It is no mystery that on the mechanical aspects there was an important step to take for the Italian side with the goal of matching the pace of Red Bull in 2023. We had already talked about it during the 2022 Formula 1 season, with a new rear suspension in the works for the second part of the championship, then abandoned on the F1-75 single-seater for ‘strategic’ reasons, which blocked the developments at the French Grand Prix: “We have redesigned the entire front suspension by bringing the trackrod lower, so as to improve weight distribution as well as geometry. The rear one is now multi-link.” – explained the chief designer Enrico Cardile without hiding too much information.

Despite the little aerodynamic freedom allowed by the regulations, a different setting of the wing was expected which in fact changed the design of the flaps substantially, with a decisive out-wash tendency to move the flows beyond the front tyres. Surprisingly, the ten small elements that were thought to be banned by the FIA after the Mercedes case have also appeared but have been added thanks to a new regulation update for the 2023 Formula 1 season: “They are not a decisive component, but they are useful details and we can use them.” Enrico Cardile clarified.

As we know, ground effect cars need to make the Venturi tunnels work at their best, this means that, with greater heights like Red Bull RB18, or with lower heights like on the Ferrari F1-75 or even better the Mercedes W13, the aerodynamic platform must remain as stable as possible. Here the mechanical aspects come into play in a powerful way and it must also be able to counteract the bouncing, as was achieved by Red Bull last season. The regulation changes which imposed an increase of 15 mm of the edges and 10 mm of the throat of the diffuser may seem minimal, but in reality it was a problem that was difficult for the aerodynamicists to deal with. The road taken by Ferrari was to work a lot on the mechanics to widen the setup range, thus offering more setup options and a car that could mechanically sit closer to the ground at top speeds, approaching the behavior of the Red Bull RB18 car.