Analyzing the graph relating to the micro sectors from the second free practice session for the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, we can see which sections of the track Scuderia Ferrari will necessarily have to work on to maximize performance in the qualifying session on Saturday and most importantly in the race on Sunday.
The positive note concerns the “non-shortage” of downforce generated by the SF-23 car. The confirmation comes from the mid-corner feedback, where the differences with the mighty Red Bull are really small.
Taking into consideration the following image created by the editorial staff of the Italian website FUnoanalisitecnica, during the second free practice session for the 2023 edition of the Australian Grand Prix, areas emerge where the single-seater from Maranello was even faster than the RB19 despite, in general, having suffered a important gap at the end of the session in Melbourne.
We are talking about turn 1, 6 and the last corner. In terms of top speed, the gap will shorten a lot when the power of the internal combustion engine and hybrid system increases tomorrow, power which was deliberately kept low to try to preserve the reliability of the various components as much as possible.
Between turns 6 and 9, where the cars go flat out most of the time, the SF-23 lost two tenths, a difference that will precisely disappear once the engine power will be at maximum capacity. The traction, on the other hand, shows very good values. The confirmation comes in the straights present in the first sector, where the two Ferrari cars lose practically nothing against the Austrian racing cars.
Melbourne: Ferrari best in terms of minimum mid-corner speeds
At the moment it seems that Ferrari and Aston Martin have a similar amount of downforce. However, as soon as the red increases in power, the gap with the green car should widen in favor of the Maranello single-seater.
Now let’s look at the graphic report above. The image compares the maximum and minimum speeds of the top teams detected during FP1. In the particular ranking dedicated to speed-trap, for the moment, the Red Bull RB19 still dominates. The single-seater from Milton Keynes, in fact, manages to power Max Verstappen up to 326km/h.
As far as the SF-23 is concerned, however, considering, as we have said, the very limitation on the power expressed by the Italian power unit so far, it does not suffer a substantial gap like in Jeddah. The Ferrari number 16 has a peak of 317km/h, while Carlos Sainz goes up to 320 km/h.
Finally, let’s take a quick look at the additional chart above. Through the comparisons, we can easily notice another figure related to the Ferrari cars which is undoubtedly very encouraging for the rest of the Australian weekend.
The Monegasque, engaged in his best lap, manages to produce the best minimum speeds in the middle of the corner. In fact, compared to the Red Bull car of Max Verstappen, the former Alfa Romeo driver is about 5km/h faster. This is a sign of a good mechanical grip expressed at lower speeds by Ferrari.
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