New developments are coming to Ferrari in Hungary to make a big impact, but work is already underway in the factory on a package for Spa Francorchamps and Monza.
Scuderia Ferrari left the Silverstone circuit with the same feelings that emerged in Spain. The SF-23 had good potential that, whether due to strategic mistakes or overly conservative choices, did not translate into a positive result in the British Grand Prix.
If the potential seen in Austria is there, then Hungary will be an opportunity to showcase it. In truth, there was also good progress seen in England, probably overlooked due to the meager final results. The Red car, in fact, showed good balance in the quick trio of Maggott’s, Beckett’s, and Chapel corners, without suffering from porpoising on the subsequent Hangar Straight. These are all positive notes in anticipation of Budapest. The Hungaroring is a track known for high downforce, where tire degradation is not a real critical issue.
Therefore, as reported by the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, a revised version of the high-downforce rear wing seen in Monaco is expected to debut on the Red car in Hungary. It will be paired with a front wing of the same characteristics but refined with the flaps introduced in Austria. The choice of high-incidence wings aims, in the minds of the engineers in Maranello, to consolidate race pace while not forgetting the importance of qualifying on a track with limited overtaking opportunities.
Low-downforce package for Spa Francorchamps, extreme for Monza
But it doesn’t end there. In Maranello, they are already thinking about Belgium, the last stop before the summer break. An additional aerodynamic package, this time with low downforce, is expected for Spa. We will likely see similar updates in a more extreme version for Monza, to cope with the long straights of the Brianza circuit.
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Returning to Belgium, tire management will once again be crucial. To improve their balance, an additional modification will be introduced to the floor of the Red car, optimizing both the side edge of the curbs and the differentiated configuration of the Venturi channels.
In general, the test in Spa will reveal a lot about the development path undertaken in Maranello. The low-downforce aerodynamic configuration has been difficult for the SF-23 so far, but who knows if the updates introduced in Spain and refined in subsequent events have made the 2023 Ferrari even faster, even in these conditions.
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