Whereas the revised front wing design has inevitably attracted plenty of consideration, Ferrari says that the suspension has been modified for each aerodynamic advantages and to supply a better vary of setting changes on race weekends.
The SF-23 made its debut at Fiorano on Tuesday when Charles Leclerc gave it its first shakedown laps.
“The 2023 automobile is an evolution of the one we raced final yr,” mentioned head of chassis space Enrico Cardile in a video issued by the group. “However in actuality, it has all been utterly redesigned.
“On the aerodynamic facet, our intention was twofold – to extend vertical downforce and to make up for what was misplaced as a result of new period laws, after which to attain the steadiness traits we had set ourselves.
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“The suspension has additionally been utterly redesigned, on the one hand to assist the aerodynamicists get the outcomes they have been on the lookout for, and on the opposite to extend the vary of changes attainable on the automobile on the observe.”
Requested to elaborate on the variations in comparison with final yr’s automobile, Cardile mentioned: “The obvious modifications to the automobile are undoubtedly within the space of the entrance suspension the place we have now moved from a configuration with a excessive trackrod to at least one with a low trackrod, pushed by the calls for of the aerodynamics.
“The entrance wing can be completely different, as is the development of the nostril, as the first factor is now not hooked up to the nostril as a substitute it’s floating.
“The bodywork is extra a continuation of what was achieved final yr, however it’s extra excessive.”
Ferrari SF-23. element entrance wing
Photograph by: Ferrari
Like all groups, Ferrari has needed to take into consideration the 15mm change to the ground top that was mandated by the FIA.
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“The brand new period guidelines launched by the FIA to cut back the chance of porpoising on observe have led to a internet lack of aerodynamic efficiency,” mentioned Cardile.
“Really fairly a considerable loss. By way of growth, our work was not a lot completely different to that of earlier years.
“We merely needed to adapt the automobile’s geometry to swimsuit the brand new circulation shapes which might be generated due to the brand new laws.”
Cardile additionally made an attention-grabbing remark concerning the influence of the funds cap, noting that way more objects have been carried over from final yr than would have been the case up to now, when groups didn’t face such restrictions.
That was not the case within the transition from 2021 to 2022 as a result of large rule modifications, and groups have been obliged to revamp plenty of components.
“The funds cap has had an undoubted impact on efficiency,” he famous. “Due to this fact, when it got here to designing this yr’s automobile, we needed to take it into consideration.
“The best way we went about it was to determine which areas of the automobile had little or no added worth to the efficiency of the automobile, after which try to preserve these areas of the automobile just like these of the earlier one.
“In numerical phrases, it means the variety of components carried over on this yr’s automobile is double the determine of that of a automobile constructed to the earlier laws, with out the presence of a funds cap.”
