Ferrari focused on importance of power unit at Yas Marina amid targeted setup to optimize SF-23

The Ferrari SF-23 is not a winning car. On the contrary, it has revealed a plethora of technical issues that have not been fully resolved during the season. Doing so, as we well know, is impossible with the current regulatory framework. A regulation that heavily penalizes those who have to chase and, look at that, quite favors those who did their homework better than others during the winter.

We are talking about a condition that effectively limits the work that could be done on a car. The cost cap has failed in this regard, achieving exactly the opposite effect to what was intended. The teams know it, the International Federation knows it, and for this reason, as anticipated some time ago by our editorial team, there will be a meeting next month between the parties to try to modify some parameters of the budget cap.

The introductory part of the piece continues by returning to the present. The mere track, the one that will see the 20 F1 cars speeding during the final weekend of the 2023 racing campaign. We are talking about a highly interesting competitive context, especially since the Grand Prix organizers proposed and obtained permission to modify the layout of the Middle Eastern track. A track that has indeed improved its characteristics.

In the margin of these measures, the importance of the power unit has raised its level. Considering the value of the engines, we are not wrong in stating that the Ferrari, specifically the 066/10, has the highest maximum power in the lot. Furthermore, after the modification made to the software in recent months, the red car’s engine enjoys improved hybrid energy recovery. This factor, combined with lower average fuel consumption compared to that shown in the first part of the season, must be taken into account.

Abu Dhabi GP 2023: The Importance of the Power Unit at Yas Marina. Ferrari SF-23 on Top
As mentioned earlier, changes to some parts of the track have altered the impact of the internal combustion engine at Abu Dhabi. We are talking about a greater effort, a surge that brings the full gas engine usage to 68% (compared to 60% in previous editions). This is a rather significant change that has altered the specific weight of the power unit over the weekend in terms of timing.

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Considering the importance of the hybrid part of the power units, the most stressed element will be the MGU-H. This is the electric motor tasked with recovering energy from the enthalpy of the exhaust gases. Its contribution involves a measured input in Kj equal to 3,538 units. Meanwhile, the MGU-K will provide about 821 Kj through the use of the braking system, for a total of 4,381 Kj. Power-to-weight ratio: 10 horsepower is equivalent to about 0.18 seconds.

Trying to sum up with the above data, we can assert that, in terms of speed, the total benefit derived in the pure sprinting phase is around 15 km/h, which, of course, will be added to the top speed. As for the lap time, the time advantage is about 2.9 seconds. From this perspective, Ferrari knows it can squeeze the most out of its 066/10 power unit, a component of the car that, especially in qualifying, can make a big difference compared to its opponents.

According to information gathered by the editorial team of FUnoanalisitecnica, in fact, the Maranello team has studied a particular configuration of the hybrid system that, combined with the specific medium load at the rear, a spoon-shaped version, will provide one of the highest EOSS values. Finally, a few words about the transmission. The number of gear changes per lap in the race will not be among the highest of the season, estimated at approximately 2,990 gear changes. This aspect keeps concerns about the gearbox’s reliability during the Grand Prix at reasonable levels.