Ferrari is focused on America to forget Qatar. This could be the motto that accompanies the Maranello team Ferrari in the upcoming races. Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo, Las Vegas, before returning to the Middle East for the final stop in Abu Dhabi. A series of five Grands Prix in which the Italian side is tasked with fending off attacks from behind, especially from McLaren, and trying to catch up with Mercedes in second place.
The Prancing Horse is focused on the triple-header that begins with practice tomorrow and concludes in Brazil. In these three Grands Prix, the destiny of the men in red will become solid. The Circuit of the Americas, for the SF-23, shouldn’t be as challenging as Losail but still presents some obstacles to overcome.
The Italian car cannot change its characteristics, which see it struggling with changes of direction in fast, high-speed corners. At COTA, the first sector is the biggest concern. From Turn 2 to Turn 10, there are a series of high-speed changes of direction that could pose challenges for a car that, although improved over the year, has not been able to eliminate the fundamental flaws that affect the performance of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari Banks on the Power Unit to Beat Mercedes
On paper, Red Bull and McLaren will have an advantage. The Ferrari technicians will need to minimize the difficulties by focusing on a setup with enough downforce to avoid underperforming in Sector 1. Once this section is cleared, the car should be able to rely on the strong points of its repertoire: traction and power from the power unit, which, supported by the hybrid system with the new software activated in September, could favor the SF-23 over Mercedes.
The reference to the Anglo-German cars is necessary because, as mentioned at the beginning, the game is played with the W14s, which expect to face some challenges in Austin due to the characteristics of a track that may not be as friendly as the Qatari one.
In Brackley, it has been a feverish eve as a new floor has been defined and prepared. It should serve to slightly improve current performance but, above all, define a development line for 2024, when the remnants of the slim concept will be completely abandoned following the technical revolution in Monaco.
In a championship that, so far, behind the dominant Red Bull, has been an ode to uncertainty, we will likely witness yet another reshuffling of values, from which Ferrari aims to emerge victorious to achieve the minimum goal of the second-place finish.
“We face a very challenging triplet of Grands Prix,” explained Frédéric Vasseur upon arriving in the United States. “It will be five races in three weeks, including the Sprints. The team and drivers are called upon to maintain a high level of concentration to maximize the opportunities that present themselves.”
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“We come from a race in which we paid a high price for an issue with Carlos Sainz’s SF-23, and we worked to ensure that similar situations no longer prevent us from lining up both cars,” continued the Frencg manager. To avoid further reliability problems and maintain performance, Ferrari will use power units with lower mileage. This choice is made to optimize performance and durability. With this strategy, they aim to beat the Black Arrows and perhaps compete with the MCL60.
Fred Vasseur was clear in the final part of his brief statements: “We need to return to the level we demonstrated in Singapore and Japan, as only then can we optimize the performance of our package and put Charles and Carlos in a position to give their best.”
The only practice session tomorrow will be of decisive importance since the sprint weekend makes everything faster. For this reason, in Maranello, the simulation department has worked overtime to define a setup that the track must confirm immediately. Not having significant updates for the car, given the circumstances, can represent a small strategic advantage compared to those, like Mercedes, who will use not only the FP1 hour but also the official sessions to gather data to compare with what they already have.
There are small elements that generate confidence in the race for second place. Ferrari must be perfect in every aspect during a weekend with very high temperatures that could pose some challenges in tire management. For this occasion, Pirelli has brought its medium range of tires: C2, C3, and C4. In this regard, the SF-23 has not always been an excellence.
Source: Diego Catalano for FUnoanalisitecnica
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