The Ferrari that everyone desires does not exist. The initial proclamations before the start of the 2023 Formula One season, regardless of the actual competitiveness of the car, have remained in the mind of Ferrari’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna. Unfortunately, reality continues to reaffirm one fact: the SF-23 is an insufficient car, especially in terms of race pace.
Even the updates, for now, have failed to improve the fortunes of the historic Italian team. On the contrary, they have highlighted the native difficulties that the working group encounters whenever they attempt to produce updates. However, dismissing the aerodynamic package showcased at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain would not be fair.
After a one-week break, the Canadian Grand Prix is up next. The track is characterized by the presence of various chicanes that are taken at medium/high speeds, combined with several straights interspersed with rapid changes of direction, where the drivers must necessarily attack the kerbs to achieve competitive lap times.
In the first section, there is a slow corner where traction on exit is crucial, but above all, the behavior of the car on entry and throughout the corner is essential. A lot of time can be lost if it is approached incorrectly. In this point, braking needs to be carefully managed, often with a certain steering angle to remain tight in the middle of the turn and be effective in the following corner.
The next three medium/high-speed chicanes are challenging because teams tend to unload the rear to gain more efficiency in the final sector. There is, therefore, little aerodynamic grip, and the rear tends to slide for everyone, relying more on mechanical grip. Last year, overall, the F1-75 was competitive in the first two sectors, unlike Mercedes, which struggled a lot in mid-corner.
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Essentially, the 2022 Ferrari F1 car had excellent vertical load, providing very good cornering speeds. Meanwhile, the speed delta compared to Red Bull between the first and the second sector was significantly smaller due to the different types of corners. From turn 10 to the finish line, Carlos Sainz was losing just under 6 tenths, as we can observe through the telemetry presented by F1 experts Niccoló Arnerich and Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica.
Going into specifics, we notice that the biggest gap was concentrated in the last chicane: a significant 4 tenths of a second. This means that the SF-23 will need to put together a suspension setup that accommodates quick passage over the curbs. We know that at low speeds, it is not a problem. However, in the faster sections of the track, the red car struggles to utilize the curbs, tending to become unsettled.
Therefore, we can hypothesize that part of the decision to have less downforce in Spain was a test to understand how to make the tires work with less vertical load. It’s a configuration that, considering the deficit of the car’s chassis regarding efficiency, the engineers would like to be able to use consistently. After all, equaling the vertical downforce generated by the RB19’s floor is very difficult.
Precisely for this reason, the Austrian cars will adopt a lighter configuration. This aspect will widen the speed gap compared to competitors. Generally, with a less downforce-dependent car, there is a tendency to stiffen the suspension system to improve the stability of the aerodynamic platform and at the same time require a higher percentage of load from the floor.
However, this approach penalizes the car’s behavior in other parts of the track, such as the much-discussed final chicane of the Canadian circuit. From the first free practice session, we will immediately understand whether the engineers from Maranello will apply the same concept proposed in Catalonia or if, on the contrary, they will try a different approach through a compromise setup.
Ferrari SF-23: Paying attention to clipping and the front axle
Clipping will be a topic of discussion in Montreal since there are several sections where the hybrid part of the car will need to be strategically utilized, especially in the third sector. Choosing the most suitable configuration to distribute the approximately 200 horsepower produced by the motor generators can generate a significant advantage in terms of lap time. In 2022, Red Bull worked extensively to find the most effective mapping.
Another relevant factor concerns the activation of the front tires, as historically they have had some difficulty in reaching optimal temperature. This situation, in general, can result in detrimental performance asynchrony. It is an unfavorable condition for achieving maximum available grip.
In this regard, this condition could weigh more on the RB19, as the car from Milton Keynes adopts greater anti-dive compared to Ferrari. Although this aspect brings several benefits, it can also reduce a portion of the useful front weight transfer. Not surprisingly, for example, we saw all those lock-ups in Australia.
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