On-board report and analysis from the Ferrari SF-23 cars in the 2023 British Grand Prix. The analysis was made by Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica:
About twenty minutes and rain could arrive. The message from Ferrari over the radio just before the start is not too encouraging. But then again, the weather conditions in England predict this and more. Charles’ start is good, unlike Carlos Sainz’s who loses a position to George Russell. The different trajectory of the Ferrari drivers in turns 3 and 4 does not optimize traction in the following straight.
This is the first technical comment on the red cars, considering that Charles Leclerc, in this section, struggles with a car that tends to become quite unstable. The same situation for Carlos, just as it happened between practice and qualifying. The setup maintained in FP3 has produced some advantages, but several weaknesses remain.
Ferrari tries to provide power with the hybrid mode Soc 4, necessary to use more energy recovered from the motor generators than what is produced. Meanwhile, they are asked to take care of the trajectory between turns 6 and 7, with the aim of not “overusing” the tires in this phase. Then, two laps later, the communication “Tires are ready” signals the possibility of starting to push after saving the compounds.
The pace of the McLarens does not seem easily replicable by the SF-23 cars. It remains to be seen if this aspect is related to tire management or if the pace of the SF-23 is simply not up to par. Four minutes later, the second hypothesis gains ground, considering the engineers’ request for access to all useful information about the compounds. There is also talk of a flap update, to understand if a load change will occur at the front during the first pit stop.
Another 5 minutes and tire management becomes a bigger issue. Gradually, the gap to the frontrunners increases. Carlos opts for two more points of load, while Charles prefers not to touch the balance of his car. The pit wall compliments the Ferrari drivers for the correct energy input they provide to the tires through handling. The Plan “B” is being considered at Ferrari.
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It’s raining: this is the message from the Ferrari team on lap 15. For now, it’s just a few scattered drops, apparently, while the sun continues to heat the English tarmac. Looking at the lap times, there is a gap of about 5/6 tenths of a second behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, reflecting what was seen in the high fuel simulations on Friday.
Xavier Marcos Padros, Charles Leclerc’s race engineer, asks for more attention in the slow corners to better manage the tires. While the next lap calls number 16 to the pit lane. Pirelli white-banded tires for the Monegasque driver as he returns to the track in twelfth position. Xavi requests special care for the Hard tires in the opening laps, setting the lap time at 1.33.2s. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz continues to push, considering the possibility of extending the stint. After experiencing overheating in previous laps, it seems that the tires are now at the correct operating temperature.
There are many pieces of information on the radio channel of car number 55, in an attempt to provide the Spanish driver with all the possible assistance to implement his strategy. Carlos Sainz informs that the tires are starting to degrade a bit, but for the moment, nothing serious. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc has caught up to Lance Stroll, who in turn follows Alex Albon by about two seconds. The Canadian does not put up a fight, and Charles easily overtakes him in Turn 2. Eleventh position secured.
Lap 26: “mode box Carlos, mode box.” The Spaniard enters the pit lane to change the tires. A brand-new set of Hard tires and back on track, holding twelfth position. The same recommendations given to the teammate to not stress the tires in the early phase of their life do not arrive. Three laps later, the Aston Martin of the Canadian makes room for Carlos, who, in gaining the tenth position, is the fastest driver in this lap.
The Monegasque driver is lapping an average of three tenths faster than the Williams car ahead of him, gradually closing the gap. However, George Russell, after making his pit stop, positions himself behind the Monegasque driver and overtakes him at the beginning of Turn 2. Two minutes later, the Virtual Safety Car is deployed due to Kevin Magnussen’s stop, just as Charles is in the third sector. With promptness, Marcos calls him back to the pit lane to make a pit stop (used Medium tires).
The lap after the Safety Car comes out, Carlos seeks clarification on the strategy to use, asking how many positions he would lose by making a tire change. The situation is not clear to the pit wall, and the Spanish driver, to avoid making a wrong choice, prefers not to make a decision. The remote garage takes care of it for him, asking him to stay out. A borderline situation managed in this way.
After the whirlwind of tire changes, here are the positions of the Ferrari drivers: Carlos Sainz in seventh, Charles Leclerc in tenth. On lap 38, the services of Bernd Mayländer are no longer required, and the race resumes. Race mode activated, and they go full throttle. Charles attempts an attack on Alex Albon to exploit the grip of the medium tires, but slightly losing control of the rear, he has to back off. Two laps later, the DRS system is enabled, and Sergio Perez, glued to the exhaust of Carlos Sainz, fills the Ferrari’s mirrors with blue racing flags, while at the same time, Charles Leclerc gets a close view of Fernando Alonso’s AMR23.
The so-called DRS train makes everything very challenging with 10 laps to go. Fernando leads a line of five cars that, in theory, should have more pace than him. Suddenly, Carlos Sainz makes a mistake on the last corner. He goes wide, loses position to Sergio Perez, then to Alex Albon, and finally to his Monegasque teammate. A truly fatal oversight for Carlos, as he drops back to tenth place.
The race goes on, and with 5 laps remaining, the number 23 Williams becomes “untouchable” for Charles Leclerc. Carlos Sainz tries to keep up with his teammate, who seems to be more on form in this final phase of the race. Charles vents on the radio, pointing out how difficult it is to stay close to the duo ahead of him, Alonso/Albon. During the final lap, Charles Leclerc gives it his all to attempt an overtake on the Thai driver. Unfortunately, he doesn’t succeed.
In conclusion, one fact stands out. Not like in Spain, but the SF-23 continues to show high tire wear compared to its competitors. This significantly limits its potential, forcing the drivers to maintain a pace lower than what is actually possible. Ferrari implemented two different strategies during the British Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the result: ninth and tenth place.
A truly deficient interpretation of the race. Considering that in qualifying, the gaps were minimal, and Charles even had the chance to secure pole position, aside from the variable of tire degradation combined with driving errors, it is clear that once again, very few things worked for Ferrari. Finishing behind a Williams confirms this fully.
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