Ferrari braced for "stiff test" amid Silverstone characteristics less suited for SF-23

The French team principal doesn’t make bold statements ahead of the British race following Leclerc’s second-place finish in the Austrian GP. The characteristics of the British track are less suited to the red car, but Fred hopes that the SF-23 will confirm the progress seen at the Red Bull Ring, as the fast corners will put the direction of development undertaken in Maranello to a tough test.

Ferrari has turned the page. Charles Leclerc’s second-place finish, which marked the team’s 800th podium, is now in the books. Attention is now focused on the next round of the 2023 Formula One campaign, the British GP, just one week after the Austrian race in Spielberg.

Fred Vasseur, the team principal of the Prancing Horse, is aware of the progress made at the Red Bull Ring but doesn’t make any bold statements about Silverstone, a very fast track with characteristics that are very different from Spielberg…
“In the last two races, we have shown that we have made progress and made the SF-23 more competitive. We have been able to give our drivers a car that allows them to attack, manage the tires well, and maintain a consistent pace.”

The French manager is aware of Ferrari’s favorable tradition on the track where Froilan González secured the team’s first Formula 1 victory in 1951, out of the 18 victories that have been achieved at Silverstone…
“We know that the track is one of the historic circuits of Formula 1, and it is also inseparably linked to Ferrari’s history. Its high-speed corners represent a stringent test to verify the direction we have taken.”

Vasseur doesn’t forget Carlos Sainz’s first victory in Great Britain last year and has confidence in the Maranello team to continue their positive streak, but he refrains from making predictions, as if the British race is less favorable to the red car than the Red Bull Ring was…
“We know that we can rely on the contribution of both our drivers: Carlos achieved his first Formula 1 victory a year ago, while Charles has come close to victory on several occasions and has often mentioned Silverstone as one of his favorite permanent circuits. We will work as a team and do everything we can to put them in a position to fight against the usual fierce rivals.”

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Pirelli will introduce tires with a new construction that are more resistant to extreme stresses. This is another variable for the engineers to consider when fine-tuning the cars, as Silverstone features challenging corners like Maggotts, Becketts, Chapel, and Copse, which highlight the importance of setup with an aerodynamic configuration aimed at minimizing drag.

For this reason, we will see very low-drag wings, similar to those used in Baku and Montreal, and a new diffuser should make its debut at the rear of the car. This additional element should complete the aerodynamic package that debuted at the Spanish GP.