Why isn’t the 675 project, aka the Ferrari SF-23, working as it should? The question is certainly not easy to solve. The problems detected on the Italian car in this early part of the 2023 Formula 1 season are numerous. We have tried to evaluate them through several articles, considering every single aspect that contributes to the negative performance of the red car.
We did this by examining various factors, such as a suspension system that, when set improperly, led the Prancing Horse to underperform in an attempt not to destroy the tires. From an aerodynamic point of view, moreover, several elements have confirmed the extreme need for updates.
Under the shadow of the budget cap, it is complicated to react through updates. Not to mention that competitors are not exactly standing by and they, like the Maranello team, will also bring innovations to make their own single-seaters even more competitive. Then there is a little-talked-about issue that concerns the power unit.
Through the reliability clause granted by the international federation, the Ferrari engine has been “corrected” and enhanced. On-board analyzes confirm this. However, the power ability of the hybrid system during charging phases is not fully satisfactory, and moreover, according to what was learned by the Formula One Technical Analysis editorial staff, the consumption of the internal power unit shows less than optimal efficiency of the unit called 066/10.
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Ferrari: lack of load in high-speed straights
In today’s article, we compare the performance of two Spaniards: Carlos Sainz from Madrid and Fernando Alonso from Oviedo. We do this using telemetry, overlapping the best race lap of the Ferrari SF-23 with that of the Aston Martin AMR23. The comparison takes two laps both set towards the end of the race, with the fuel tanks lightened and the Pirelli tires in white-band Hard compound.
The first aspect to comment on concerns the timing of the best lap. Achieved two laps apart, the fact that the fastest lap times came just a few laps before the end confirms that the tire degradation suffered by both cars was rather low when using the Hard tires.
This scenario confirms a factor regarding Ferrari. The excessive consumption is largely due to the thermal management of the tires. In Miami, in fact, the drivers of the red car carefully managed the acceleration phase as well as the high-speed cornering. This measure did limit tire degradation, but once again negatively impacted lap times, significantly reducing the race pace of the Ferrari cars.
Returning to the comparison, looking at the image below, we examine the lap number 55 of Carlos compared to the fifty-seventh of Fernando. The graph is quite indicative of the performance during the race. Between the exit of turn 1 and the end of the fast corner sequence, the red car lost a full half-second compared to the green car of his compatriot.
While in the middle section the SF-23 contained the damage, arriving at turn 17 adding another tenth of a disadvantage to the one already accumulated. Subsequently, in the penultimate corner of the track, Fernando Alonso gained another tenth. Examining the total count reveals that the biggest gap is created precisely in the fast section, where the car must express a certain aerodynamic load to perform at its best.
Putting together what has been said so far confirms the sensations expressed in the technical analysis a few days ago: the floor that is too sensitive to ground height, in fact, is not helped by the excessive softness of the suspension kinematics. This aspect leads us to say that the setup chosen for the American stage did not succeed in enhancing the performance as it did in Azerbaijan.
Through the usual post-race interviews, Carlos Sainz expressed himself very clearly about the tires, revealing how the compounds were unable to maintain the ideal temperature window for more than one push lap, a synonym of poor handling that effectively caused the SF-23 car to slide and the tires to overheat.
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