F1 | Ferrari: a work of… weight to identify all the defects

The drivers remained in Bahrain, while the top levels of the Scuderia all returned to Maranello: the enormous amount of data that was collected during the three days of testing in Sakhir had to be analysed, in order to prepare the first Grand Prix in the best possible way season scheduled in Manama.

Those who expected an agitated first de-briefing after seeing the SF-23 finish in fourth place with Charles Leclerc and fifth with Carlos Sainz in the only collective testing session were probably surprised.

There is no fibrillation in the Racing Department, except for the little time available before leaving for the Persian Gulf: Fred Vasseur’s comments commenting on the tests were in line with the analysis that was made in… cold in Maranello:
“To sum up, at the end of the three days I see that the performance is there, but obviously we don’t know much about where the opponents are. I know you’ve gone through all the stints… but you’ll also have seen that we completed a lot of tests with different things. Some worked well right away, some less so. I’m quite happy with what we did in the three days. The most important thing in winter testing is being able to put in the kilometres, because when for some reason you don’t succeed, it’s a disaster.”

Ferrari SF-23: a pit stop during testing in Bahrain

Photo by: Ferrari

The objective of the tests was not to look for performance, but to understand the SF-23, finding in the long runs the points of fall of the times and the causes that generated the degradation of the tires, more with the C3 than with the C1, two of the three compounds selected by Pirelli to open the 2023 world championship.

Ferrari has changed the approach to the season: in the race simulations the red has always run with a lot of fuel in the tank. So petrol was a constant, while the variables were ground clearance, suspension stiffness and aerodynamic adjustments. The SF-23 started the runs with at least 80 kg of fuel, also topping up between one stint and another.

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

It’s normal that, lapping in these conditions, the drivers had a lot of trouble understanding what the car’s performance threshold is, while Red Bull performed with much more competitive times both in the long runs and in the flying lap. The frowning face of Charles Leclerc on Saturday afternoon in the pit lane expressed an emotional state and dissatisfaction more than words, although David Sanchez, Head of Vehicle Concept, tried to explain to the Monegasque how he will be able to change the red when he goes to serious.

The systematic work has allowed us to highlight the window in which the SF-23 is able to operate, understanding the minimum heights to avoid the appearance of porposing.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

The hopping, harmful phenomenon measurable at high speeds, was soon limited (but not solved), while the best balance of the car was not found with the introduction of the new Pirelli front tyres, with a more rigid construction useful for reducing endemic understeer.

The suspicion is that to pursue the efficiency of the RB19 the car was overloaded (the medium-load wing from Canada was used at the rear) and, perhaps, it was necessary to find grip for the tires with a more resistant configuration.

Detail of the rear wing of the Ferrari SF-23 which suffered problems with the mobile wing

Photo by: George Piola

A new wing was fitted on Saturday morning featuring a mono-pylon strut and a longer chord main profile, as well as less blunt mobile flap struts. A comparison with the Canadian version was envisaged in the plans, but the sudden failure of the DRS control forced the Cavallino technicians to park this solution, returning to the initial one.

Ferrari SF-23: aero-elasticity tests were also carried out on the front wing

Ferrari has ventured into the minefield of Red Bull which has been suffering for years with a problematic DRS looking for the lightness and aero-elasticity of materials. Maranello, therefore, has become aware of a problem that otherwise would have emerged during the Grand Prix weekend.

In short, the Scuderia hid a bit, looking with a certain stubbornness for the limits and problems of the red. And at the end of perhaps pedantic work, some results emerged: for the first race weekend, a different adjustment of the rear suspension is needed. By acting on the mechanical part of the SF-23, the right path of development could be found.

If the modification produces results, then we will see the team sticking to the most efficient aerodynamic configuration, while moving to the more loaded wing if the track’s response is not that of the simulations. Let’s therefore expect a Ferrari capable of having its say in qualifying (in tests the times were achieved with 35 kg of petrol!) and which will try to defend itself in the race pace to limit a gap that has not yet cleared…