What goal can Scuderia Ferrari achieve at Silverstone? The million-dollar question currently lacks an answer. It is really difficult to predict what will happen today. However, the potential is good. The new aerodynamic package of the SF-23 does not disappoint at the British circuit, and in terms of straight-line speed, unlike what happened in the recent past, the performance is encouraging.
The setup chosen for the tenth round of the 2023 Formula One season, which is less loaded in terms of downforce compared to Red Bull, has still allowed the only available Ferrari driver in the second free practice session to achieve optimal performance on the flying lap. However, the issue of tire degradation is a concern. It is somewhat frightening. The half a second that, on average, Max Verstappen has outpaced Carlos Sainz is too much.
For this reason, there is still a lot of work to do. The simulator study has revealed some untapped capabilities. Not to mention that the unexpected setback of the Prancing Horse limited data collection yesterday due to the electrical problem that sidelined car number 16. This is considering the fact that Charles Leclerc usually chooses a slightly different path regarding car settings.
This prerogative would have allowed for a useful cross-comparison to identify the best approach to car adjustments. Not to mention the interpretations based on driving styles, which we know differ in various aspects from that of the Spaniard. There is still 60 minutes separating Ferrari from qualifying. An hour that will be maximized.
Ferrari is working to optimize performance in long runs
The inability to take to the track during the afternoon session did not prevent the Monegasque driver from forming an opinion on the British version of the red car. Between changes in front load and various tests on tire activation, Charles Leclerc was still able to assess the performance of the SF-23 on the push lap. Certainly, the performance was not impressive with the yellow-banded Pirelli tires but was noticeably better with the Soft compounds, which provided extra grip.
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Furthermore, the taste of high fuel runs conducted during FP1 has led the Ferrari driver to further reflections: the pace of the SF-23 with a high amount of fuel onboard confirms the inherent characteristic of the Modena car in consuming tires. Charles had already thought with the engineers about some modifications to alleviate this factor, but as we know, the mutiny of his Ferrari relegated him to being a spectator.
On the other hand, his teammate’s on-track activity was frenetic. Carlos, despite a few too many mistakes and some traffic that disturbed him on certain occasions, managed to test the number 55 extensively. Some instability combined with slight understeer was corrected throughout the session, providing interesting data on pure performance.
Telemetry analysis has revealed how, despite choosing to install a lower amount of downforce compared to the more solid car of the championship, the sensational RB19, the Spaniard was able to navigate several corners with comparable if not even faster speeds than the Austrian machine. The setup for turn 4, which actually compromised the top speed on the following straight, still needs to be addressed, as explained by F1 expert Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica.
As for the simulation of the race pace in race configuration, the data is known. The pace is too susceptible to tire degradation caused by overheating of the compounds. Just a couple of laps on both the Medium and Soft compounds were enough to trigger massive and necessary tire management that obviously slowed down the Spaniard’s red car considerably.
According to information gathered by the editorial team of FUnoanalisitecnica in the last few hours, following the study conducted overnight in the simulator, Ferrari believes it has found the key to maximizing the setup and consequently offering improved performance with full fuel tanks. The specter of Spain lingers, a Grand Prix where the gap to Red Bull was astronomical. To avoid repeating such an embarrassing context, all alarm bells have been set off.
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