Ferrari, F1-75: new floor in Singapore to reduce "parachute" effect

Ferrari, F1-75: new floor in Singapore to reduce “parachute” effect. New Ferrari floor in Singapore to reduce "parachute" effect.

During the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit, Ferrari decided to carry out some comparative tests during free practice to gather important data on two different car floors, the ‘pre-France’ version and the one introduced at the Paul Ricard circuit. The tests were done by Carlos Sainz, given the fact that the Spanish driver had to take a grid penalty and was aware he would have to start from the back of the grid, as his F1-75 car was equipped with the new hybrid system which reduced above all the weight of the Ferrari car.

In the French Grand Prix weekend, Ferrari introduced a new floor which, after the first more than encouraging signs, led to problems with balance and tire degradation. For this reason, the Maranello team, after the disappointing results recorded in Hungary, Belgium and the Netherlands, tried to investigate this aspect at Monza also to provide the factory the information necessary to implement possible solutions for the final part of the season.

Ferrari’s goal for the last races will be to defend second place in the Constructors’ standings against Mercedes, but above all to better prepare for the 2023 Formula 1 season. As reported by Alberto Antonini for formulapassion.it in his latest in-depth analysis dedicated to Ferrari’s double-header trip to the East, the Italian side will bring at the Marina Bay Street Circuit with an updated floor version, as the Ferrari engineers led by Mattia Binotto hope this new specification will guarantee the same aerodynamic load but a smaller “parachute” effect.

There was no issue with the floor introduced by Scuderia Ferrari in France because the downforce is not lacking as evidenced by the cornering speeds of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but the consequent drag, or the aerodynamic turbulence as air particles pass over a car’s surfaces and the layers of particles closest to the surface adhere, proved to be too high. This was a difficult compromise that Red Bull seems to have found by combining the work between floor, rear wing and beam wing.