What will Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari be like? How much will the new boss be able to change and impact on the Ferrari Racing Department?
Engineer and Formula 1 expert Giuliano Duchessa tried to answer these questions, in a recent post published by Italian journalist Leo Turrini on his quotidiano.net blog:
“The 2023 cars are defined in terms of main concepts.
December is the first month without an F1 Grand Prix since February. The F1 world championship has now become a marathon and the long 2022 season has marked the start of new single-seaters era based on the ground effect concept. However this season we have seen how important it is to have a basic concept that works from the start – see Ferrari and Red Bull in Bahrain – but also an important ability to develop the car during the year and correct errors. Even Mercedes has paid its dues, going from hell to purgatory, before really understanding if it was worth insisting on its design. Simply put, the fewer mistakes you make at the outset, the fewer corrections required, the better it is in terms of budget cap.
December is an extremely interesting month. Meanwhile, the macro concepts are totally defined and a crucial phase begins for the technicians in the factory. It would be interesting to attend some meetings with the project leaders who determine the tactical choices on the early development programs.
An example is the updated cooling specifications, on which the design of the sidepod inlets, gills and air-box depend. Obviously the look that will be presented at the official winter testing session is always in the more cautious version. The definitive projects are put into production so much so that, if they are not late, the first chassis and the new nose for the crash test should be approved around Christmas. The second will arrive not long before the winter tests.
Compared to 2022 there is no reason not to believe that we will see some strong evolutions. The spending limit didn’t allow for deep changes to the cars during the current season. Ferrari, for example, had very soon shifted its attention to the 2023 F1 car while Red Bull seems to have kept some updates in its pocket that it will show at the beginning of 2023.
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Not entirely correct to say that cars will run higher off the ground. Higher than what parameter?
The 2023 regulation follows in the wake of technical directive 39. It is not a revolution but it has certainly complicated the plans of those who, like Ferrari, had found a lot of performance by keeping the F1-75 low, discreetly managing the well-known bouncing problems that have affected the cars. However, a qualified source reveals an interesting thing: “it is not entirely correct to think that cars will run higher from the ground than in 2022, it could be true for the primordial theoretical concept with which they worked on the simulator. Then there was the porpoising which forced us to stiffen a lot and raise the floor, then we collected a lot of useful data, some unexpected….”.
Essentially it seems plausible that we will see very different floors in terms of design, especially regarding the inlet conveyors to the Venturi tunnels due to the fact that the diffuser will be slightly higher than the reference plan but will be able to lower more under braking, under traction and at high speeds.
The 2023 regulation could help widen the setup window. Obviously the simulations aren’t telling the whole story but they will generally be more reliable than last winter.
How much will the arrival of Fred Vasseur have an impact on the new car?
Fundamentally little, and this not because the new team principal wanted above all by Benedetto Vigna has no capacity to intervene, but because it would be, on the one hand, not very intelligent to do so. There is not much room at this stage to take responsibility for course changes.
The choices started from far away, we are talking about a project that started at Easter and has been perfected in the tunnel for many months with data cycles that the former Alfa Romeo team principal cannot know. Furthermore, what remains of the aerodynamics has either been essentially completed or is in the final stage. It would be inappropriate to slow down the work of technicians. Frederic Vasseur is not naive and Ferrari is not an ‘agile boat’. Some decisions, such as the return of Simone Resta in Ferrari are not so obvious, unless they become forced. Moreover, the French manager is very much aware that CEO Vigna will want to be more involved and on more extensive issues.
All while it is clear that the shock of Mattia Binotto’s forced resignation has not left anyone indifferent, especially if we think of some important power unit manufacturers. The owners wanted to give a signal of change, perhaps it could have been expected, some think.
What is certain is that the Frenchman may be happy to inherit duties, honors and Mattia Binotto’s car. But more than in the factory, Vasseur will have to concentrate on identifying and enhancing the best figures to correct some of the shortcomings seen on the track.
I would add that now it would be essential to nip the newly reappearing ancient ghosts in the bud. To be clear, the focus should not be to change or revolutionize rather to stabilize, reassure and enhance. The biggest immediate achievement of the new management in my opinion would be this first and foremost. A task that will not be easy.” Giuliano Duchessa concluded.
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