Ferrari will try again. The goal remains the same: to try to bring out the best version of itself. To do so, lately, we have understood how many factors need to align. Aspects that can be summarized with a simple word: understanding. It’s about understanding, as the good Binotto stated. The Maranello team is not foolish, and the first thing they understood, last February, was that they wouldn’t be competing for victory in 2023 either.
A difficult cold shower to accept, which effectively led to another ongoing revolution. A restyling of the personnel, already in progress, to restore calm and serenity within the team. A “patchwork” method of working that needed to be revised, both in terms of communication and, above all, operationally. This is the work of Frederic Vasseur, the decision-making plenipotentiary of GES appointed for performance recovery.
The ongoing season serves a purpose, indeed. We know: a free field for continuous testing during all sessions, towards a future that must be rosier at all costs. As mentioned, winning is a word that is not even contemplated in the current competitive campaign. Therefore, while waiting for better times, they seek to maximize results and implement new functional principles for the cause.
After the summer break, we arrive at Zandvoort, the thirteenth stop of this one-sided championship. A championship where Red Bull dominates, and no one seems capable of beating them. For the Dutch appointment, Ferrari intends to put into practice new approaches studied during the summer break, in an attempt to extract as much performance as possible from the SF-23. The attention is high, and the expectations are rising. However, as always, only the track will confirm the competitive step seen in Belgium regarding the entire weekend’s administration.
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Ferrari: Particular Rear Wing Combination with Beam Wing
Thanks to friend and colleague Albert Fabrega, we can analyze the shots taken directly in the pit lane regarding the rear configurations of the cars. Observing the first image below, we confirm in full what we wrote in the usual technical preview on Wednesday, an article that analyzes the main technical aspects of the circuit in relation to the peculiarities of the Dutch track.
Taking a look at the following graphics, we reinforce what Ferrari expected. The technicians of the Prancing Horse have decided to propose a version of the rear wing with more load compared to the competition, the same one used in Monaco, which also originated from a 2022 version. Although the main plane is very pronounced, its extreme parts are “less loaded” than those of the competitors.
The intention aims to once again reduce end vortices to lower the drag developed. In this regard, it’s interesting to note the choice made regarding the beam wing. We’re talking about a part of the car that, within the current regulations, plays an important role in terms of generating total load.
Unlike what was done last May in Monaco, Ferrari has decided to combine the rear wing with a lower downforce package. We’re referring to the two elements that make up the beam wing. As we had already analyzed in other events, the upper component has been advanced with a very small angle of incidence. The aim is to direct the flows towards the second element, which has an increased chord with the original angle of incidence.
Looking at Red Bull, it’s immediately noticeable how their rear wing choice aims to maximize downforce with a specific high aerodynamic load setup (previous photo). We know that the RB19 enjoys a lot of efficiency and can therefore afford greater downforce without limiting this advantage. A choice shared by other teams, including Mercedes and McLaren. The German team has also resurrected the version used on the streets of Monaco, with a pressure distribution profile “with a double peak.”
Lastly, it’s worth remembering a fact. The front-end setup will play a crucial role at Zandvoort. The right suspension compromise will make a difference, an element on which Ferrari has spent a lot of time in the last week, deliberating specific configurations useful to the cause. Optimism on this point exists. We still have to understand, we will do so tomorrow, whether the long-awaited hope will be rewarded by facts or, on the contrary, will remain an unfulfilled desire like in Hungary.
Source: Alessandro Arcari and Niccoló Arnerich for FUnoanalisitecnica
