SF-23 struggling to find braking point to tackle iconic Tarzan corner | 2023 F1 Dutch GP. SF-23 struggling to find braking point.

A challenging session at the Zandvoort circuit
The third free practice session for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, marked by rain, claimed several victims. Max Verstappen came close to making contact with the barriers at the exit of Turn 3 after suddenly losing the rear of the car, a scenario that saw Kevin Magnussen hit the wall. Later, Guan Yu Zhou ended up in the gravel at the penultimate corner, a spot that also caught out Liam Lawson.

In total, there were three red flags, but yellow flags were also abundant for various excursions, particularly at the chicane after the back straight and at the Tarzan corner, the first on the Dutch circuit. One driver who had considerable difficulty interpreting that corner was Charles Leclerc, who repeatedly ran wide at Turn 1.

The Ferrari driver, on full wet tires, even temporarily set the fastest time before running wide into the corner for the first time. This pattern repeated itself in several subsequent laps, with Carlos Sainz also forced to use the asphalt runoff to rejoin the track after failing to turn in time.

“Turn 1 is so tricky,” the radio admission from Charles Leclerc after yet another mistake. The Monegasque driver finished in ninth position, one and a half seconds behind Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz secured the 12th time, trailing his former teammate from their Toro Rosso days by eight tenths of a second. Only George Russell managed to keep up with the home favorite, closing within three tenths of the double champion. If the track remains wet in qualifying, errors will be just around the corner. Ferrari has confirmed the medium-high downforce rear wing, a choice that provides great speed in the third sector for the SF-23 cars, making them the fastest at the speed trap detection point. This speed, however, clearly comes at the expense of braking when setting up for the Tarzan corner.

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