Scuderia Ferrari arrived at the 2023 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix with some upgrades, not originally planned but brought forward. In particular, the SF-23 showcased a new front wing and a new floor, tested first during the Fiorano filming day a few days prior to the event at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Thanks to these modifications, the Red team managed to achieve a strong qualifying and a podium finish both in the race and the Sprint Race.
However, technical drawer and journalist Giorgio Piola, commenting on the car presented in Spielberg, remained cautious in his final judgment.
“The Ferrari presented here is another significant evolution. The front wing is completely redesigned, in all its elements, and the floor is also new. These elements, along with the updates from Spain, have been added, and in the end, it performed well. However, I’m a bit like Charles Leclerc, and I say we have to wait to make a judgment,” the expert said in a video by Motorsport Italia.
“Ferrari made good use of the filming day”
A comment was also made by Editor in chief of Motorsport.com Italy Franco Nugnes, emphasizing how Scuderia Ferrari chose to change its mindset and adopt a different approach in studying the SF-23 single-seater: “In the decision to bring parts to Austria, Ferrari has also been courageous because the approach we have seen until now analyzed each element very calmly. There is also a change in philosophy: before, they sought maximum aerodynamic load for the car, while now it seems that there is a desire to limit porpoising, following a similar path to Red Bull.” – he explained.
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“There is a lot of Red Bull influence in Ferrari,” Giorgio Piola admitted. “The floor and the vertical vanes, which are now less squared at the leading edge, resemble those of the RB-19.” The technical expert then focused on another clever and courageous choice by the Prancing Horse: leveraging the filming days as testing opportunities. “They intelligently took advantage of the filming day opportunity. By doing so, the engineers in Maranello were able to have an extensive shakedown to ensure everything works, and they compared the two different floors with the drivers. They streamlined the on-track work; otherwise, this comparison would have had to be done on Friday, within the limited available time,” the journalist further explained after the Austrian Grand Prix.
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