How Ferrari have been working to close Red Bull gap amid ‘mini-break’ and 2023 Baku GP. How Ferrari have been working to close Red Bull gap.

This weekend, the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held at the Baku City Circuit. During the April “mini-break,” all teams are taking advantage of the time to work on their cars and develop upgrade packages that will likely be introduced for the upcoming rounds of the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, especially at Imola, which takes place in mid-May.

Scuderia Ferrari has divided their recent work into two strands. One is related to the next evolutions of the SF-23 single-seater, while the other is focused on the present. Specifically, the Maranello team has been testing various aerodynamic configurations, suspension set-ups, and power unit modes back at the factory to prepare for the fourth round of the season in Baku.

The Italian side has conducted numerous tests in the simulator, including at least eight different configurations as recently reported by the Italian and International media. These tests combined three different suspension set-ups, several variations in aerodynamic configuration, and two power unit modes in view of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the goal of being able to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull and reducing the big gap as compared to Red Bull.

All the hard work has paid off, as the Maranello engineers, alongside Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, have been satisfied with the results. In fact, the feedback collected from the simulator has helped them extract even more performance from the SF-23. When compared directly against the data and mathematical model of the 2022 single-seater, the F1-75, using the same configurations and power unit modes, the SF-23 showed an advantage of approximately 1.2s in Azerbaijan.

If this figure is confirmed when the car hits the track this weekend, it would mean a half of second improvement compared to the first three races of the season, with the SF-23 being only seven-tenths faster on flying laps than its predecessor in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Scuderia Ferrari focused on various parameters during their simulator tests, particularly the stiffness and dynamic response of the suspensions to load variations. These aspects will be crucial in setting up the car when it hits the Azerbaijan streets for the first free practice session.

The upcoming sprint race in Baku will be crucial for the Scuderia as the set-up in the first free practice session will almost be definitive given the fact that the Formula 1 challengers will enter parc ferme on Friday afternoon instead of 24 hours later. Therefore, it was necessary to refine the car settings on the simulator before the race weekend. The Maranello team also took into account the driving preferences of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and the power unit will be tested in Baku closer to its maximum potential on the long straights given the importance of the engine on this circuit.

The Italian side has focused on the aerodynamic configuration, particularly in terms of ride height and control of the vertical oscillations, which has unlocked higher speed and performance compared to last year and proved adequate in managing tyre degradation. The development elements that will be adopted on the SF-23 in Baku will consist of functional modifications to adapt the car to the track characteristics, which were already planned before the ‘recovery plan’ was launched.

As explained by F1 tech analyst Paolo Filisetti, a low-downforce rear wing will be used in Baku, which is an evolution of the one used in Jeddah, along with a revised profile and chord of the flaps in the front wing. The DRS effect can be reduced by up to 40% compared to a layout like the one which hosted the previous Grand Prix, making it a complex task to induce diffuser stall on the straights by exploiting the DRS. This may limit one of Red Bull’s key strengths in this start of the season and could potentially allow Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin to get closer to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in Baku.

Meanwhile, production of the first parts for the SF-23 in terms of new wings and updated floor is underway, and they may be introduced between Imola and Barcelona, with the possibility of being used at the Miami International Autodrome as well.