There was a lot of anticipation for the 2023 Formula 1 pre-season testing session, not so much to evaluate the performance of the Red Bull RB19, a single-seater that started from an incredible base, the RB18, but rather to understand how Ferrari and Mercedes could have recovered the gap to the Austrian side. The answers are not very positive, despite the usual difficulty of evaluating the true potential and performances in increasingly shorter pre-season testing sessions.
Red Bull RB19: the best compromise between low aerodynamic resistance and high aerodynamic load
Ferrari set up the three-day test using the first day to carry out some correlation work, trying to understand if the data collected on the track matched that coming from the factory tools, such as the wind tunnel. The next two days had the goal of extracting the potential from the SF-23, in terms of understanding and optimizing assets. Three very intense days, as Charles Leclerc defined them.
The strong pessimism that marked the SF-23’s performance during the first day was rightly reevaluated yesterday after the Italian car took to the track with more appropriate and ‘normal’ setups than the certainly more experimental ones on Thursday, which were necessary to evaluate the whole aeromechanical map of the car. However, the SF-23 has shown that it is not yet at the level of the RB19, as also confirmed by Charles Leclerc, who came out into the open on this last day of testing. “We still have a lot of work to do with the SF-23. Red Bull looks very strong and seems to be ahead of us.” The RB19, after a first morning spent sliding a lot and with a lot of oversteer, quickly found the right (new) balance between the front axle, fitted with the new Pirelli anti-understeer tires, and the rear one. Adrian Newey’s new car seems to be once again the best compromise between low aerodynamic resistance and medium-high aerodynamic load, with excellent mechanics that are not afraid of the bumpy Bahrain circuit.
“The car works really well,” Max Verstappen admitted – “We tried many things, and it was all very interesting. These have been three very positive days for me and, for this reason, I am satisfied”. The Dutch world champion admitted that he really enjoys driving the RB19. “There are some differences between the new car and the previous one, so I had to adapt a bit to drive it a bit differently.” – he continued – “I think it is a bit related to the tires and, on this, I think Pirelli has made an important improvement compared to last year. We arrive at the first race weekend aware of our limits and, this week, we will work to improve them”.
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The SF-23 is an aesthetically similar car to the F1-75 but with a very different behaviour
As for the SF-23, it’s a much more diverse car than what can be seen with the naked eye. The features have changed dramatically. “We have changed the philosophy of the car. I think we have been working in the right direction and will go faster on the straights this year, which was one of our weaknesses last season, but I expect to struggle a bit more in the corners.” – said a Charles Leclerc not fully satisfied with these three days of testing.
Yesterday was a rather difficult day for the Monegasque, with many difficulties in finding the ideal set-up, however, this morning went a little better. “The SF-23 is a different car, you have to drive it differently. I’ve tried different driving styles and I’m finding the right way but there’s still work to do.” Charles Leclerc relies on the unexpressed potential of the new Italian car, on which the team will work next week, both in terms of data analysis and in the simulator. “I believe and hope there is room for improvement for the SF-23 once we find the ideal set-up, which we have not yet found in these three days”.
It seems to be in a completely opposite situation to the 2022 Formula 1 pre-season testing session, with Red Bull which, once on the track, manages to set excellent times, especially in medium and long stints, while Ferrari is still looking for the ideal set-up. “The car has changed, in line with our expectations, but we still need to find the right setup for these new features.” concluded Charles Leclerc. However, it should be emphasized that today, due to a structural failure, Ferrari was unable to test the new rear wing which guarantees more downforce, which will be useful especially with the C3 compound (the qualifying tire for next week) and during the central hours of the day, the hottest and where the rear train suffers enormously especially if not correctly supported by the right aerodynamic load, as explained by F1 expert Piergiuseppe Donadoni for formu1a.uno.
It is important to underline that during the race weekend, the most important sessions will be run with much lower asphalt temperatures, which will help Ferrari to a certain extent. “The tests in Bahrain are quite strange as we race all day with 45°C on the track, while in qualifying and in the race next week it will be 25°C.” – said Fred Vasseur – “We will have a totally different track that could tell a completely different story. In these tests it was not important to express yourself at high speed but to understand the car, and in this sense we did a good job” – the French manager concluded.
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