Ferrari has been part of the disillusioned group for about 16 years, the last time it secured the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championship titles with Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. Since then, it’s been a series of disappointing seasons, marked by the word “zero” accompanying the phrase “titles won.” Losing has become the national sport year after year.
Certainly, many things have changed in the last three decades, but one thing, losing, has never left the Prancing Horse. The year 2022 was supposed to be the year of rebirth. For a while, it was, until the TD039 abruptly ended the competitiveness of the red car in the summer. In the following winter, the car underwent a restyling, aiming to optimize its performance considering the new FIA regulations on ride heights.
However, the Maranello technicians couldn’t overturn this situation. Moreover, the front end weakened, significantly limiting the functionality of more loaded aerodynamic packages. A more downforce-oriented rear end unbalanced the car, unable to generate the right vertical force at the front. Therefore, the SF-23 consistently performed better with medium-low downforce settings.
This was a challenge Ferrari had to face throughout the agnostic 2023 season. However, continuous aerodynamic tests at each competitive event provided a lot of “knowledge” in GES. Even though, under the budget cap era, the car couldn’t be overhauled, the path toward much more fruitful grounds was taken and traversed in the following months. The goal? To return to the top fight next spring.
Ferrari: Chronic flaws of the SF-23 laid the technical foundations for blocking the future
The Ferrari SF-23 was not easy to drive, a fact emphasized by Frederic Vasseur himself at the end of this complicated season. This aspect often dampened the necessary confidence in the drivers, making everything tremendously more challenging. This led to alternating weekends for both Ferrari drivers, with performances often far from each other.
Throughout the championship, several evolutionary steps were taken, continuous efforts to close the gap to Red Bull, which was sometimes almost embarrassing. The pace of work was high and undoubtedly needs to continue in the same way, following the learning curve profitably. One of the goals was to develop the car as much as possible in 2023, understanding relevant technical aspects, and at the same time, optimizing resources.
According to information gathered by the editorial team of the Italian website Formula Uno Analisi Tecnica, after a well-deserved break, Ferrari will analyze the just-concluded championship. To summarize, to emphasize what worked and what continues to create serious headaches. Changing the DNA to transform a weakened mentality into a winning one, where the culture of victimization has no room to maneuver.
Miami and Zandvoort marked a clear turning point, for example, in challenging races where almost everything went wrong. However, the factory’s working group managed to learn from these races, using what we previously called “cognitive tools.” A sort of know-how that directed the team toward the most appropriate setup, always optimizing the available package.
All of this was done, realizing their main characteristics. A targeted study that allowed minimizing some weaknesses, bringing out more prominently the stronger ones. Knowing oneself technically was crucial this season, and according to the information shared by the parties involved, it will be even more crucial for the next.
Ferrari, Project 676: Revolution doesn’t exist, says Vasseur
The first car designed under Frederic’s direction will reveal its forms to the world no earlier than February. It will be important to have the long-awaited confirmations for which much time has been spent. After all, a simple run on the track can either corroborate or refute the quality of the work done. There are few doubts in this regard because the Maranello team is convinced that things will be significantly different at the start of the 2024 season.
One of the “dearest” themes to the current racing team concerns the type of attitude, especially in moments when things don’t go well. An intrinsic aspect that the red team wants to maintain and, above all, refine. Only in this way does the ability to transform headaches into strengths become evident. Then, from a technical point of view, support must be maximum, considering that Ferrari, Project 676, has no intention of overhauling the setup. It wouldn’t be wise.
On the contrary, the embraced “engineering creed” aims to push the favorable points of the SF-23 to the limit. While chronic flaws must be corrected and eliminated. One of these undoubtedly concerns tire management, a crucial factor in F1. It may sound trivial, but having a very competitive car significantly facilitates tire administration. This is because the need to push to the maximum to stay glued to the leaders is unnecessary.
For the rest, it is evident that, in general, the red car has often shown higher-than-average tire consumption, a factor that has been worked on extensively. There’s a focused effort on the suspension dynamics that, in the near future, must be able to produce excellent traction seen throughout the year, combined with degradation in line with the rest of the competitors. Having a broader setup window will help a lot in this regard.
Ultimately, an issue that, although it may seem “peripheral,” is not at all. The manager from Draveil knows this and doesn’t hide it. Losing many points due to shaky reliability is a scenario not to be repeated. The same goes for on-track operations and downright extravagant strategies. In short, the ideas seem to be there, the desire to surprise too. It remains to be seen whether all the fine words will leave room for action.
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