Ferrari: regression of SF-23 due to poor track preparation

Once again, Ferrari is facing enormous challenges. But let’s break it down. The debut of the experimental ATA (Alternative Tyre Allocation) qualifying format produced the expected reshuffling of positions on the grid, eagerly anticipated by Formula 1 management. Any mid-season changes to the sporting regulations can dampen the spirit of competition by significantly altering the balance of power appreciated until its implementation.

However, this observation doesn’t diminish Lewis Hamilton’s splendid pole position, demonstrating how crucial the driver’s skill can still be even with a less competitive car compared to the competition.

Similarly, we can’t overlook McLaren’s progress, replicating their strong performance from their home race at Silverstone on a contrasting track. The revelation of the first part of the 2023 Formula One season is being carried by the expertise of Fernando Alonso, while Aston Martin’s regression is evident.

And what about Ferrari? The unique qualifying format certainly didn’t favor the Maranello team. In the first two runs with hard and medium compounds, the drivers of the red car had to contend with the reduced grip offered by these tires. In Q2, Carlos Sainz was forced to surrender, missing out by just 2 milliseconds in a “clean” session, meaning no factors penalized the Spanish driver.

The elimination is painful, especially when three customer cars of the Scuderia Ferrari comfortably made it to Q3. For Charles Leclerc, the Hungarian Saturday was equally unsatisfying. His sixth-place finish behind Zhou Guanyu is hard to accept, considering that, according to the Monegasque driver himself, the SF-23 was extracting its maximum potential. The gap to Lewis Hamilton’s pole time is close to 4 tenths, which on such a circuit is not negligible.

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Once again, the feeling is that the engineers of the Prancing Horse were caught unprepared for a situation that deviated from the standard patterns. The evidence is provided by Alfa Romeo, which, without introducing any updates, concluded the qualifying with the fifth and seventh positions. Given that Charles is undeniably a sublime qualifier, and his second run in Q3 was flawless, the issue lies elsewhere.

The SF-23, at least with soft tires, paid a high price in the third sector of the track, a clear sign of an imperfect setup combined with an inability to manage the tire’s temperature window properly. The red-banded Pirellis won’t be the race tires, but none of the tire compounds supplied by the Italian manufacturer seems to fit the Ferrari’s needs optimally.

The weather forecast indicates that today’s race will take place in scorching conditions with the highest temperatures of the entire weekend. But if the strong point of the Maranello-based team is qualifying, what can we hope for in the race, where the tire management of the Italian car has always been quite complicated?

The disarmament of Ferrari emerges from the words of the protagonists. For a qualifying specialist like Charles Leclerc, the sixth position obtained with a clean lap, on one hand, relieves the Monegasque driver of responsibility, but on the other hand, it sharpens the frustration. The Ferrari driver appeared calm with himself but very concerned about the technical gap to the competition. The reigning vice world champion emphasized the difficulty in extracting performance from the car.

He expressed surprise at the speed of McLaren, which has shown to be superior, and hopes that the upcoming updates to the SF-23 can at least bring him back into contention behind Max Verstappen. As for the race, the young champion of the red car relies on good tire management as a key factor to achieve a positive result.

Even more discouragement for the Spanish driver eliminated in Q2. Carlos Sainz admitted that he couldn’t maximize performance with the medium tires, and the wind in the fast corners seems to have compromised the balance in the two Q2 runs. The Spaniard is aware of the critical situation, stating bluntly that the competition is doing a superior job, as clearly demonstrated by the Woking team.

For Fred Vasseur, the new qualifying format is not the cause of yesterday’s mediocre result in qualifying. With his usual spontaneity, he admitted that the Maranello team did not move in the right direction regarding tire management. This opinion differs from Carlos’s belief that the elimination in Q2 was also influenced by the aforementioned format, as explained by F1 expert Roberto Cecere for FUnoanalisitecnica.

According to the Ferrari team principal, the Alfa Romeo’s performance is proof that good results are not necessarily linked to updates. At this point, the spontaneous question arises: why can’t the on-track operations throughout the weekend provide the drivers of the red car with a fast single-seater? And furthermore, why was the red car performant only during the sprint weekends in 2023 when the setup is practically determined solely by simulations?

From what we have seen, it might be a coincidence, but during the weekends when the standard format is used, the performance of the red car does not improve significantly compared to the competition. Probably, this will be one of the many problems that Frederic Vasseur will have to try to solve during his mandate.