An unexpected disaster for Scuderia Ferrari. A strong word in relation to expectations for the first round of the 2023 Formula 1 championship. Yes, because no one within the team had foreseen technical problems. Much less such a high tyre degradation. In this second respect, according to funoanalisitecnica.com, the Ferrari race pace itself was not so terrible. Certainly not at the stratospheric levels of Red Bull, it would still seem better than the one displayed.
A confirmation of this aspect comes directly from the on board footage, a good tool to analyze the behaviour of the car and one that does not lie as can be the case with telemetry data at times. In addition to this, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz repeatedly pointed out a clear fact on the radio during the Bahrain Grand Prix: the car could go faster, but in doing so the tires they would be “destroyed”.
If on the one hand this observation is depressing, obviously sportingly speaking, on the other hand it underlines how the potential of the car in relation to the race pace could be greater. Carlos Sainz himself confirmed this idea after the race since the overheating at the rear severely limits the performance of the SF-23.
A disappointing scenario that is not easy to interpret. In fact, it’s not just about downforce, given that the set-up with more downforce, as we were able to observe through the various comparative tests, had produced the same result. Nor is it just a matter of wrong setup by technicians and drivers.
Although it is partly premature to speculate in this sense, considering the “rear limited” setting of the Sakhir track, the suspension system of the Maranello team’s car could have this factor as a specific basic feature, meaning that it favors overheating of the rear, creating sliding and consequently, an anomalous degradation of the compounds.
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Without a doubt, the hypothesis awaits confirmation and at the moment there are no certainties. However, the alarm raised by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz cannot be ignored. In this respect, a lot of work remains to be done because, as a disconsolate Charles Leclerc reiterated, in certain moments of the race, the RB19 was 1 second per lap faster than the Ferrari car. A situation that seems more from a different motorsport category.
Ferrari SF-23: power unit in smoke
Then there is a second argument that deserves special mention. Let’s talk about mechanical reliability, the key weakness of the Ferrari F1-75. The new power unit of the Italian side is very powerful but at the same time very fragile, apparently. Is the nightmare back? The evaluation of the problem suffered by the Monegasque driver in Bahrain will give us some more data to think about in the next few days.
In the meantime, the fact remains that losing power in the first race of the world championship, when the reliability clause of the international federation granted the possibility to make updates and avoid such scenarios, leaves everyone a little perplexed.
The particular aspect, in this sense, concerns the fact that there were no signs or indications of such problems. Many hours at the dyno, the three days of testing, free practice and qualifying without any problems for the Italian power unit. And then, right at the most important moment of the first race weekend, an unexpected failure when, at least from the point of view of the power unit, the performances seen were really excellent in this start to the championship.
A Formula One engine, especially nowadays given the complexity of the mechanics integrated with the electronics, can give up due to any detail. And it is by no means certain that the issue that occurred at the Bahrain International Circuit on the SF-23 car is linked to a design condition. Or at least that’s what one hopes, evaluating the recent past.
Finally, a few words about the drivers. Charles Leclerc put together a perfect weekend. He didn’t do anything wrong. We will never have the proof, but the possibility of taking home the podium at the expense of Fernando’s competitive comeback during the last third of the race was there.
The handling of the Monegasque was really great. Under strict guidance from his race engineer, Xavi Marcos, Charles was able to manage every single corner brilliantly and was going well beyond the evident current limits of a car that still does not show a precise identity. Once again chapeau for the real, and at the moment only, strong point of the historic Scuderia Ferrari.
As far as Carlos Sainz is concerned, the difficulties that emerged derive from his adaptation to the car. The Spaniard doesn’t have his teammate’s ability to get into a single-seater and squeeze everything out of it immediately. However, Carlos has very important analytical skills that will certainly come in handy during the season.
