The 2023 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix lived up to the predictions, with Monza being identified early on as the most favorable circuit for the Maranello team to return as at least the second force on the track (click here for details). Scuderia Ferrari maximized the potential of the SF-23, and the unique Brianza circuit partially masked the flaws in the 675 project. However, the race at the “Temple of Speed” does not mark the end of the red team’s season. Unless special events occur, victory will remain a distant dream.
The upcoming seven rounds will undoubtedly pose greater challenges and serve as an extended autumnal test phase. During this period, the engineers at the Modena-based team will continue gathering data and know-how to apply to the next season’s project. In this regard, Frederic Vasseur’s statements regarding the next season’s car have been somewhat contradictory. The French manager has hinted that the design of Project 676 will represent a departure from the current Prancing Horse Formula 1 car. Simultaneously, he mentioned that the technical department will exploit every available day before finalizing the red machine that must redeem the disappointing 2023 campaign. This suggests that the chosen aerodynamic direction is still influenced by feedback from the SF-23.
This conjecture has been partly confirmed by Jock Clear, Performance Engineer at the Prancing Horse: “If there are things that we think will be relevant and will carry over into next year, it would make sense to put them on the car and have some certainty of getting a bit of time on those bits before February 2024.” His statement implies that, from now until the end of the season, one last set of updates could be introduced to the 2023 car. However, Clear also mentioned that for the upcoming race in Singapore, the Maranello team won’t bring significant updates, following a logic of incremental development: “I think there will be some small tweaks here and there, but I don’t think there will be anything big.” As known, the technical department of the Prancing Horse froze the development of the 2023 car in July. However, Jock Clear’s words suggest that one final step could be introduced later on.
If indeed the historic Italian team has another evolutionary step in store, logic would dictate that it be tested on the most challenging layouts for the cars, namely Suzuka. The Japanese circuit, along with the Montmelo track, provides very clear feedback on the cars’ performance. The elevation changes and the high-speed, sweeping curves could serve as the final litmus test to determine whether the development path of the 675 can finally lend credibility to the oft-disregarded refrain: “We’ve Got It.”
Perhaps the only chance to return to acceptable performance levels is the comprehensive understanding of what went wrong with the SF-23 from the beginning of the season, even after the extensive upgrade package that debuted at the Spanish Grand Prix, which confirmed the failure of the aerodynamic philosophy inherited from the F1-75. If the Italian team’s end-of-season performance is on the rise, there would be no reason to discard the understanding of the SF-23 to adopt a new aerodynamic concept, which would also require a non-immediate gestation period.
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