Scuderia Ferrari has brought all the modifications introduced by the SF-23 during Tuesday’s Filming Day at Fiorano to Austria. The Maranello technicians have great confidence in the new floor, which aims to make the aerodynamic platform of the red car more stable, unleashing the potential that has never been seen before. Spielberg will be another key test for Maranello’s ambitions, and for once, courage prevails in developing solutions in a weekend limited by the Sprint race format.
Ferrari: Moving Forward with Courage. The Maranello team has embraced the solutions tested during the controversial Filming Day on Tuesday at Fiorano. The front wing, the nose tip, and the engine cover with increased airflow extraction are the elements included in the updates that debuted at the home track earlier this week and have been promptly reintroduced at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, just like the new-generation floor.
In the Austrian Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari wants to build on the positive indications observed in Canada: the Italian technicians seek the definitive confirmation that the car from Montreal represents growth and not another illusion resulting from a favorable circuit with minimal tire degradation.
Despite having only one free practice session to evaluate all the novelties for the Sprint race format, Ferrari doesn’t hesitate to rely on the new configurations in an attempt to extract all the potential that has remained hidden from the SF-23 single-seater thus far.
The Austrian floor is completely new and bears little resemblance to the two previous versions: the inspiring concept has changed drastically. Diego Tondi’s aerodynamic team did not pursue maximum aerodynamic load achievable from the floor, but rather the optimal utilization of the available load.
In the former case, a recurring porpoising phenomenon was observed, with the detrimental effect of having to raise the car from the ground, thus losing downforce. Now, the objective is to control porpoising to aim for a wider operating window of the car and strive for a stable aerodynamic platform, enabling the exploration of setup solutions more conducive to performance optimization.
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During the Filming Day, we already highlighted the new design of the flow diverter located outside the Venturi channel outlets: this element is crucial for controlling the turbulence of the front wheel and ensuring that the dirty air vortices do not negatively impact the low-pressure zone of the floor. The leading edge is more open outward, and the lateral design has changed, increasing its surface area.
The flow conditioners dividing the Venturi channels beneath the floor are also new: they now protrude from the outlet and have a very rounded design similar to what is seen on the Red Bull RB19. The cut in front of the rear wheel, which Ferrari had initially introduced and became popular in the early part of the 2023 Formula One season, has disappeared.
This is a floor that some have described as “three-dimensional” because the red car’s side elements feature prominent protrusions: “lungs” have been added to reduce pressure in certain areas of the floor and allow the expansion of flow to limit the occurrence of porpoising. The first practice session in Styria will provide clear answers regarding the development direction taken in Maranello.
Red Bull and Aston Martin led the way, and now other teams are following suit: Fred Vasseur is optimistic, and based on their statements yesterday, the drivers also seem open to the possibilities. Enough talk: the track will provide the verdict…
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