Scuderia Ferrari is tired of losing. It has been doing so for fifteen years, and boy, does it start to weigh on them. They have been working on changing the situation for a while now, but at the moment, in the 2023 Formula One season, changing the tune seems quite complicated if the goal is to beat Red Bull. It is not true that the RB19 has no flaws. It would definitely have them if any other car was capable of outperforming the Austrian single-seater. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
So, we must inevitably endure the Sunday parade where the blue racing cars, free from particular concerns, run on the track without pushing themselves too hard. All this to clarify a fact: even if the updates from Mercedes and Ferrari were extraordinary, they would hardly be sufficient to reach the cars from Milton Keynes. Let’s make peace with that fact, then.
However, there may be an exception. A “however” could make an appearance. Let’s talk about the city circuit that winds through the streets of the Principality. It is a racing track where the combination of driver and setup can make a difference. So much so that on Saturday, with the right adjustments, one can guarantee the result for the next day. This is the golden opportunity to exploit in Monaco this weekend.
The characteristics of the Monegasque track are unique. Tight, slow corners mixed with faster sections where the cars race alongside the walls. It is an extraordinary technical challenge that requires tailor-made setups. In terms of suspension, all teams will try to soften the torsion bars, allowing for greater rotation of the rocker, which in turn triggers the movement of other components.
Even regarding roll resistance, softer bars will be used to achieve significantly higher load transfer in corners. The minimum ground clearances will generally be raised due to the presence of numerous bumps scattered along the track.
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Such a suspension setup, in turn, creates vertical movement of the upper surface. For this reason, cars that are less sensitive to this phenomenon in terms of ride height (relative to the reference plane, i.e., the asphalt) will enjoy a clear performance advantage. It’s a field where the RB19, as usual, excels, as explained by Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica.
Ferrari: traction and load transfer
Another crucial aspect in Monaco is traction. We know that Ferrari excels in this discipline, thanks to a rear suspension geometry that perfectly controls the movement of the tire during acceleration, keeping it in the ideal position on the ground for as long as possible, generating beneficial contact.
In this regard, Milton Keynes has made a significant step forward compared to last year. With their intense pursuit of stiffness in terms of suspension geometry, they have not always found the right compromise. That’s why they have chosen the path of anti-squat at the rear, taken to the extreme by the team dedicated to vehicle dynamics.
Such a solution does provide aerodynamic advantages, but at the same time, it generates less weight transfer, resulting in a disadvantage in terms of mechanical grip. Red Bull has copied Ferrari by developing a rear suspension with an arrow-like shape. This measure has improved the traction of the RB19, which should, in all likelihood, be more competitive than the RB18 in this aspect on the streets of Monte Carlo.
From a purely aerodynamic point of view, we will see highly loaded configurations. The goal will be to achieve more vertical downforce at the expense of top speed. Efficiency will not be crucial on this track. Monaco rewards cars capable of generating more downforce through the interaction of the rear wing, beam wing, and diffuser. In this regard, Red Bull has a very solid foundation, managing to produce a significant amount of downforce from the floor, thanks to a very good pressure gradient that benefits diffuser expansion.
Lastly, let’s talk about tires. A fairly hot weekend is expected, with track temperatures likely to exceed 45°C. In recent years, using all four tire compounds simultaneously has always been crucial. In many cases, teams have struggled with cars that easily overheated the rear tires, with the front axle having more difficulty entering the operating range.
This factor creates a dissonance between the two axles, which, in turn, produces a significant mechanical imbalance. Therefore, a targeted setup will need to be sought for the cars, aiming to provide precise rear control, avoiding wheel spin that would cause overheating.
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