FP2 performance analysis: Ferrari optimizes SF-23 balance, more potential in slow sections | 2023 Abu Dhabi GP. Performance analysis from the second free practice session for the the Abu Dhabi GP.

Ferrari does what it can during FP2. The SF-23, car number 55, violently collides with the barriers once grip is lost in turn 5. Carlos Sainz apologizes to the mechanics inside the box, effectively placing all responsibility on the data collection to the Monegasque driver. Charles Leclerc, absent in FP1, quickly adapts to the car and manages to achieve good lap times. Towards the end of FP2, he improvises a high-fuel test on Soft tires.

Let’s start by acknowledging that it’s been a challenging Friday for everyone. Many young drivers during FP1 couldn’t extract the maximum from their cars, revealing their limitations. Leclerc leads the chart. The base setup conceived in Maranello for SF-23 is confirmed. It’s a very low car that produces more sparks than others, effectively distributing downforce along the bottom of the car to ensure load at different speed ranges.

Abu Dhabi GP 2023/FP2: Ferrari Nails the Basic Setup on SF-23 Even Though It Needs Refinement

Carlos Sainz’s accident is related to the discussion just made because the car became unsettled going over a bump between turns 2 and 3. As we’ve learned this season, the red car’s floor has a greater height excursion during rolling phases. Therefore, touching the asphalt caused the SF-23 to become unsettled and spin.

We observe a slight understeer that Ferrari seems to contain. However, even though other cars are more solid in corner entry, in traction, even at medium speeds, the Italian car can recover quite a bit. This aspect is evident, for example, in turns 1, 12, and 14.

As we can see from the comparison of micro-sectors between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, the red car gains a significant advantage in all straight sections thanks to a lighter setup that works. As predicted, the RB19 excels in performance at turn 9, the only actual corner of the track, managing to be good even in the slow zone under the hotel.

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At this point on the track, Ferrari will need to seek performance. It seems that the technicians tried to penalize low speeds, one of the strengths, by stiffening the car to improve handling in fast corners. We see that in the chicane 15-16, the SF-23 is very fast, hitting the best split time in Sector 3. Currently, the red car has about 5 km/h more top speed than the Red Bull.

A somewhat out-of-form RB19 on Friday, also because the limited time available did not allow them to work on long runs, where they usually hide a certain advantage. A Red Bull with a lot of bouncing means that, unlike the Italian car, the Austrian cars have not yet found the ideal ride height setup. This is especially true in the third sector where the curves that load the outside of the car the most are located.

Some bumps significantly limit the lowering of the floor, and the few laps available due to the double red flag did not allow the technicians led by Adrian Newey to tailor the setup around these factors. We will see on Saturday if this difference with the red car was caused solely by a slower adaptation or if there are other issues plaguing the reigning world champion team.

Max also complained about a certain lack of rotation throughout the track. We think that, as often happened this year, Red Bull sought grip at the rear by excessively shifting the balance towards the rear. This aspect prejudices the already very rigid front’s grip, making it difficult to load the front end properly.

Mercedes has worked a lot on the aerodynamics, testing two different versions of the rear wing. The specifications differ in the wingtips: cut in Lewis Hamilton’s case and ‘integral’ in Russell’s. We know how sensitive the W14 is to efficiency, so the engineers in Brackley wanted to understand if the lighter wing would allow them to generate enough rear grip. The black cars have shown a certain degree of oversteer. Therefore, based on feedback, some changes to the setup will arrive on Saturday.

Through the chart above that examines the average speeds for each car in three different speed ranges, we note that Ferrari dominates in slow sections. But as mentioned in the third sector, something still needs to be fixed as the W14 is very close. At medium speeds, Red Bull and Mercedes are in command. We anticipated in our preview that the German team aimed to optimize precisely this type of corner. This is an important factor considering the heavier setup.

In FP2, probably, the choice of setup will go towards the configuration with greater downforce. However, we can say that handling still needs to be adjusted. Regarding fast corners, the RB19 positions itself ahead of everyone, even though they suffered from bouncing and understeer. It should also be noted that the speed delta at high speeds is significantly smaller than on other tracks. The load is there, but the balance needs to be maximized.

Abu Dhabi GP 2023/FP2: Ferrari SF-23 Very Fast on the Push Lap

Finally, let’s talk about the ideal qualifying pace, an element that provides the actual performance levels. Charles Leclerc is ahead of everyone with Red Bull just a tenth behind. Bottas is very fast, thanks also to the excellent Ferrari power unit. The first Mercedes is George Russell’s, placed two tenths “real” behind the leader. With less downforce, Lewis Hamilton loses two tenths to his teammate.

To summarize what has been said, at least today, the Prancing Horse has shown the best package. Work remains on the slow parts. Red Bull needs to find the optimal ride height to access maximum performance and limit understeer. Speed is present, especially in long-radius corners, one of the possible keys to unlocking additional performance.

Mercedes has shown some suffering at the rear. That’s why the choice of greater downforce will become factual for the rest of the weekend. A W14 capable of performing very well in Sector 3, almost on par with the Ferrari SF-23. The German cars have a very good entry, a characteristic that allows them to match the performance of the red car in various parts of the track. A bit more balance is still missing, but the potential at medium and high speeds seems to be there.

Source: Alessandro Arcari and Niccolò Arnerich for FUnoanalisitecnica