Based on the data from the first free races of the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, the Ferrari SF-23 single-seater is second in terms of top speed and has a deficit of 4 to 7 km/h as compared to Red Bull, however the engineers have identified the margin for improving aerodynamic efficiency.
The Maranello technicians soon understood that the SF-23 had important limitations that needed to be corrected. The already development plan that was initial defined has undergone and will undergo significant corrections in terms of updates. It was to be understood if the direction taken with the new floor was correct. At the moment one thing is certain, once we reach the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, the aerodynamic appearance of the SF-23 will change with major updates in terms of sidepod design.
It is probable that the tank concept introduced last season on the F1-75 will start to look different, meeting the criteria of improving aerodynamic efficiency before increasing the load from the wings. In Maranello are they trying to maximize the flow further down, in Red Bull style, towards the diffuser ramp, in short, involving the lower part of the beam wing more (creating a rather different blowing towards the rear). In any case, the need remains to maintain the qualities of the SF-23 and not completely distort the good areas of the single-seater, also for a question of costs.
The only thing that can be done while waiting for the updates is to progress and know the areas for improvement. Looking at the graph from formu1a.uno, it is clear that the least stable cars between qualifying and the race are all powered by Ferrari. If it can’t be a coincidence for Haas, the strange performance of Alfa Romeo is surprising, a car that is expressing itself all too badly in qualifying.
On average, however, it is true that all the concepts furthest from Red Bull are struggling when they take on the 100 kg. It is no coincidence that Aston Martin is the one that suffers the least. Melbourne has shown that Ferrari have made some progress with understanding the car alone, thanks above all to the revised basic specification, but obviously it is not enough to fight with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, looking at one of the most sensitive data for this generation of cars, the car in the corners under 200 km/h went from a 13% time loss between qualifying and the race in Saudi Arabia to 5% in Albert Park.
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A more consistent gap and a question of layout, nevertheless it is a discreet encouraging signal, considering that the RB19 has gone from 11% to 6%. In a nutshell, the SF-23 recovered a good 1% in all the corners where a lot of downforce is required, about 3/4 tenths, maintaining a good consistency on the straight and when braking. This clearly illustrates how Ferrari underperformed in Jeddah.
When you have to correct a single-seater during the championship, it means that there is no downhill road and not even better alternatives. As Frederic Vasseur himself explained, there won’t be a B version, after all there isn’t the time or the budget to be able to do it. The Maranello technicians will have to be good at optimizing resources knowing that every massive change heavily modifies the set-up work and will need time to finalize.
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