The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the final race weekend of the 2022 Formula 1 season, which means that all teams were focused on getting the best possible result without introducing any more updates for their current cars, with work carried out only back at the factory on the cars for next year.
However, the Yas Marina circuit, alongside the fact that it was the venue for the final Pirelli testing session ahead of the long winter break, was in fact used by some teams to evaluate new components or possible aerodynamic solutions that could be implemented on the cars for the 2023 Formula 1 campaigns.
Most of the teams saw the first two free practice sessions for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as a good chance to gather important aerodynamic data in view of 2023, but there were two teams which clearly focused on testing new aero elements: Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren.
As explained by F1 technical expert Paolo Filisetti for racingnews365.com, the F1-75 challenger was equipped with much more tools than the Red Bull 18, as the Italian side focused on several aerodynamic tests tests at the Yas Marina circuit, with the goal of evaluating the quality of the air flow directed towards the rear wing.
The Maranello team’s key area of focus was the floor, which is the main element for these new generation of Formula 1 cars in terms of downforce. This is why McLaren also tested a floor update in the first free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ferrari’s work was directed at collecting data on the area of the floor in front of the rear wheels, despite the fact that this update looked rather insignificant from a visual point of view.
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During the first free practice session last Friday, the F1-75 challenger of Carlos Sainz became a real traveling laboratory, with the Maranello technicians mounting a special network of sensors on a huge rake located behind the rear wheels and connected to the base of the wing and its endplates. It is a type of aerodynamic test which the Maranello team has often done on the final part of the championship.
The sensors’ main purpose was to gather data about the pressure of the airflow leaving the diffuser and behind the rear wheels. In fact, the floor has been updated in the area in front of them, with the clear goal of reducing turbulence in the very important zone between the inside of the rear wheels and the side shield of the diffuser.
According to Paolo Filisetti, these are not significant changes, but they have the potential of increasing, if well interpreted, the effectiveness of the underbody, in terms of downforce generated and drag reduction. The F1-75 car of Carlos Sainz’s teammate was seen running with ‘flow viz’ paint, as Ferrari made comparative tests for further feedback and a more detailed data analysis.
The Italian side’s test session at the Yas Marina circuit was a clear sign of what the intentions of Mattia Binotto‘s men are for their 2023 Formula 1 car and it also shows where Ferrari currently stand with the design cycle of project 675.
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