Scuderia Ferrari introduced its first major upgrade package last weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona and it focused on three major components that led to a significant improvement of the F1-75 race pace and tyre management. There was also a fourth important aspect, but realistically it can be considered a less relevant update, while also slightly contributing to more efficiency.
The first three were noticed in the new floor specification brought by Ferrari to Spain, a version on which the Maranello team has been working since the start of the season. At the edge of the rear section of the floor, there was no longer the knife-shaped profile reinforced with metal clips which could be seen in the previous races of the 2022 Formula One season, as pointed out by racingnews365.com.
The design of this area was therefore changed and simplified, which almost seems like an attempt to return to the version that was used during the pre-season testing session at the Bahrain International Circuit. tests. In fact, the Maranello team’s F1-75 challenger hides a thorough reinterpretation of the Venturi ducts at the bottom.
The most important change was visibile in rear in the diffuser, where a lengthened central profile was introduced, with the goal of increasing the outflow of the outgoing flow. In addition to these updates, new barge boards were also installed at the front, with wider uprights and a clear outward inclination. The main purpose of these changes was to be able to manage the bouncing effect on the straights much better and Ferrari was indeed able to control porpoising in most sections of the Circuit de Catalunya.
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Effect of the new rear wing
The new high downforce rear wing was also a key factor in finding extra performance in terms of lap time, by improving efficiency on the straights, while also giving the possibility to generate more downforce, which was very important for the slow third sector of the Barcelona circuit and in theory should also be decisive for the next round of the Formula 1 season, the Monaco Grand Prix, given the well-known characteristics of the Monaco street circuit.
The fourth update previously indicated was related to a different profile of the brake air intakes. On initial performance analysis, it looks like the goal of eliminating porpoising as much as possible and improving efficiency on the straights have been achieved. At the same time, Ferrari also improved in terms of tyre degradation: after Charles Leclerc lost out to Max Verstappen in Imola and Miami due to the high tyre wear, in the Spanish Grand Prix the situation was totally different, as Charles was able to create a gap in the first stint, before the power unit issue compromised his race.
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