On the subject of aerodynamic efficiency of the 2023 Scuderia Ferrari car and the search for further aerodynamic load, after analyzing the SF-23 we can certainly point out a Ferrari innovation: the Maranello team has has inserted vertical air intakes under the sidepods, similar to the old S-Ducts which were mounted on the noses and were abolished with this new generation of cars.
In essence, they are like aspirators, with purely aerodynamic purposes, which connect two open parts of the bodywork: one at high pressure, the inlet, to one where it is needed instead to energize the flow, i.e. the outlet.
This is a solution that was first reported by the Italian media a few weeks ago, which has now been confirmed by qualified sources in Maranello for formu1a.uno.
In the particular and innovative case of Ferrari, the entrance comes off in the internal part of the undercut, right next to the chassis. A high-pressure area, still inserted in the volume associated with the chassis and therefore free from strict geometric constraints, which brings the air to the upper part of the sidepods of the SF-23, i.e. in that area now known as “the goldfish tank”, from a denomination given within the Maranello technical office since the start of the 2022 F1 season. It is no coincidence that the outlet is positioned just before the hot air vent slots, powered by the heat exchange with the liquids inside the car. Hot air is typically low in energy, very slow, and therefore, at least ideally should be energized.
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Well, this is precisely the function of the innovative S Duct installed on the SF-23 car, namely to speed up the air flowing towards the lower part of the rear wing and the beam wing with a consequent increase in the aerodynamic load at the rear. Ferrari feels very confident about the legality of the solution and above all believes that it will be very complicated to replicate on other cars as a lot of work is needed in terms of chassis and cooling design, which are difficult to change during an ongoing season especially this budget cap era.
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