In the technical report that will be issued by the FIA on Friday morning to inform journalists about the changes the teams have brought for the United States Grand Prix, Ferrari will simply state “no news for this event.” The Scuderia won’t introduce any new solutions in Austin, despite earlier reports during the summer that the latest update would be seen in Texas.
The wind tunnel is now exclusively focused on developing next year’s car, and the aerodynamic team at the Prancing Horse hasn’t worked on the SF-23 since the summer break.
This doesn’t mean that the staff led by Enrico Cardile hasn’t designed a car suitable for the demanding Circuit of the Americas, which Hermann Tilke designed with significant elevation changes and, above all, a very bumpy track despite repeated attempts to smooth out the bumps.
The setup difficulty will be finding the right ride height to achieve maximum aerodynamic downforce from the floor without the risk of damaging the skid block or triggering porpoising. Carlos Sainz’s car will, of course, have the fuel tank and fuel system replaced after the fuel loss experienced in Lusail before the Doha race, which prevented the Spaniard from starting on the grid.
Ferrari has five races to recover the 28 points that separate it from Mercedes in second place in the Constructors’ Championship, following a Qatar Grand Prix that represented a step back compared to the three previous races, in which the Prancing Horse had begun a strong points recovery.
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In Austin, the weekend format will also feature the Sprint race, with a single practice session on Friday followed by qualifying on the same day. The American track is well-known and doesn’t present any uncertainties, so it will be crucial to have conducted effective simulation work for the SF-23 setup. There won’t be any new parts, just minor aerodynamic adjustments to the well-known medium-downforce package, according to Motorsport Italy.
Considerable attention is also being placed on the engine rotation, as the power units are beginning to accumulate a significant number of kilometers. The American circuit is demanding on the power unit, and the fresher unit will be used.
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