The 2022 Formula 1 season is now over in terms of title battles. Red Bull is waiting without worries to receive the rewords for its excellent work done during the current championship, aware that nothing can prevent the achievement of a double title, the Drivers and Constructors championships.
The historic Ferrari team can only learn from its mistakes. For the final part of the 2022 Formula 1 season the goal is to save the appearance by taking at least a few wins from the last six races this year. A target that clashes with the longed-for expectations but which, at this point, sounds like the only realistic goal. Six races to give it all for the race wins and collect meaningful data for next season, when Ferrari hopes to be able to fight with Red Bull for the titles.
After the break following the last Italian Grand Prix, Formula 1 is preparing to land south of Malaysia for the weekend in Singapore, historically the first night race in the top category of motorsport. A slow and very tortuous track, where average speeds will drop compared to the last few appointments.
In Marina Bay the vertical load imposed will be much greater than in Monza. Lower speeds, therefore, will allow to increase the incidence produced by the rear wings, which will be similar to the ones seen on the streets of Monte Carlo or at the Hungaroring circuit. From this point of view, one would think that Ferrari has an advantage. On all tracks with a high level of downforce, in fact, the F1-75 showed an excellent ability to adapt to track conditions.
However, the Maranello project is conceived on a center of aerodynamic pressure which is more shifted towards the front. This factor is an advantage on high speed tracks such as England or France, but not on circuits such as Singapore. The RB18, on the other hand, has a more rearward center of pressure, which therefore creates more load on the rear axle. This is a feature that becomes important well on a slower track, where the rear has to work a lot.
In the mid-speed 90 ° corners the two Austrian racing cars could find something more in terms of pace. The real advantage of the F1-75 cars, therefore, will lie in the traction, as explained by funoanalisitecnica.com. Efficiency shouldn’t play as decisive a role as it did in Belgium. On the sidelines of this consideration, it should however be remembered that greater efficiency is still a good weapon to search for the best car set up.
A very important role will be played by mechanics. When the speeds are lowered the grip is entrusted to the suspension. Also in this case the balance will have to be moved towards the rear axle in order to facilitate traction. We have often explained how Ferrari, compared to Red Bull, adopts a roll center at the rear that is closer in height to the center of gravity. This means that the suspension, in fact, is “naturally” more rigid.
This is why the Italian technicians will be able to use suspension elements that are on average softer. Precisely for this reason, as we all know by now, the F1-75 makes traction its best weapon in the fight against Red Bull. One of the keys to being fast on this circuit is precisely the ability to efficiently use the approximately 1000 horsepower of the Power Units, to enjoy a factual and constant acceleration out of the corners.
During the championship we were able to see how much this element can make a clear difference even in just one section of the track. We remember that in Saudi Arabia Ferrari built a decisive advantage in T1 before reaching the chicane. In this respect, Red Bull will have to run for cover even if, at the moment, making clear predictions is frankly premature.
With the fine-tuning, the engineers headed by Adrian Newey will be able to limit this “gap” against the Maranello team’s car, as they have amply demonstrated their ability to do throughout the championship, achieving excellent performance. The F1-75, at Monza, theoretically was not supposed to be able to fight for pole position. Yet Charles Leclerc started the Italian Grand Prix from P1. A good tailor-made preparation work for this circuit can make a difference.
One of the reasons why the two Ferrari cars have produced top performance in Italy lies precisely in the positioning of the most advanced pressure center. A factor that in Singapore could help in the higher speed sections.
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Furthermore, good precision at the front will also be crucial. It’s easy to say it, but not to easy to achieve it, as the stiffer the front end, the more the balance shifts towards the front, decreasing the grip at the rear. Yet precision will be one of the keystones, as it strongly contributes to increasing the confidence of the drivers to get closer to the walls and take advantage of every inch of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Speaking of the “infamous” Technical Directive that came into effect from Spa-Francorchamps, it remains difficult to say how much it could actually affect street circuit performance. Everything will depend on the degree of porpoising that the cars will undergo. With these low speeds, with only two actual straight areas which are quite short, we could see a race without severe bouncing.
However, the track has several bumps. For this simple reason, the suspension elements that regulate the ground movement of the cars will be softer than on other tracks. The vertical excursion will be greater, an element that could favor aerodynamic bouncing.
If this scenario were to become effective more than expected, the DT39 will therefore come into effect. At that point it will remain to quantify the increase in lap time given by the greater ground clearance of the rear. In this regard, it should be remembered that the RB18 will once again be less sensitive to variations than the F1-75, thus being able to enjoy a further advantage.
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