Here is a Ferrari mechanic working on the underfloor that has been brought by the Maranello team for the next round of the 2023 Formula 1 championship, the Hungarian Grand Prix, scheduled to take place this weekend at the Hungaroring circuit. The image taken by Motorsport’s Giorgio Piola’s shows us how the latest evolution introduced in Austria on the front leading edge is decidedly different from the previous version.
The aerodynamic team of the Prancing Horse, led by Diego Tondi, has changed their approach to research philosophy compared to the beginning of the season when they were seeking peak aerodynamic load. Now, they have primarily focused on finding a good balance for the SF-23 single-seater, reducing the bouncing caused by porpoising and allowing them to have ground clearances closer to the asphalt.
It is interesting to observe how the four vertical elements that define the different channels have completely different shapes and designs: the innermost element is the most protruding and squared, while the other two have an attachment point that is already internal to the tunnel with more rounded and cambered shapes, the result of careful micro-aerodynamics study. Even the outermost element has been completely revised, although it has been nicknamed “bargeboard,” albeit incorrectly.
This element plays a very important role because it prevents vortices due to turbulence from the front wheel from influencing the air destined under the floor. Above all, it must prevent “dirty” air from making the low-pressure zone less efficient, characterized by the long floor sidewalk extending to the diffuser elbow.
The outermost mouths of the floor, thanks to the flow conditioners that bend towards the lateral exit edge of the sidewalk, tend to push the air away from the car body, in an effort to force the turbulence to extend beyond the rear wheel.
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The engineers of the Prancing Horse are now trying to solve the abnormal behavior of the red car in windy conditions: when there are headwinds, the SF-23 doesn’t suffer much, and if it faces crosswinds, it is affected more or less like its competitors. However, it experiences significant loss of load when the wind blows at an angle of about 45 degrees.
The car becomes uncontrollable due to sudden and unpredictable drops in downforce, making the Ferrari unstable and producing negative effects that impact driver confidence and tire degradation subjected to sudden grip losses.
The problem has been identified, and solutions are being sought in the Renzo Piano wind tunnel to stabilize the behavior of the red car and finally unleash the true potential that the car would be capable of expressing on all circuits.
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