Ferrari introduces crucial F1 car update – but it's wasted a year

Mark Hughes
- Last updated: June 3rd 2023

Both Ferrari and Mercedes are ringing the technical changes in a bid to catch Red Bull – but they've already spent too long going in the wrong direction, writes Mark Hughes

2023 Spanish GP Ferrari new sidepod

Ferrari has introduced a new sidepod configuration for Barcelona

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Mark Hughes

Ferrari has turned up at Barcelona with a significant bodywork upgrade, its new sidepods losing the trademark bathtub upper surface. This comes just one race after Mercedes ditched its ‘zero sidepod’ concept for a much more conventional-looking layout.

As the two teams closest to Red Bull last year, Ferrari and Mercedes were widely expected to at least reduce the deficit in ’23. But they were also the only two teams which for this year did not follow the Red Bull template of the classic sidepod shape with the heavy undercut, instead staying with their 2022 concepts. A couple of other teams – Aston Martin and Williams – had already switched to the Red Bull concept mid-season last year after beginning with something different.

Creating a fast car is of course about much more than the shape of the sidepods but the way they work in conjunction with the underbody in optimising the two separate airflows – around the body and beneath it – is more crucial than ever before with this ground effect generation of car. There is only so much volume of air coming at the car for the aerodynamicists to manipulate and getting the optimum split is an incredibly complex matter. The faster that air flows through the underbody tunnels, the greater the downforce. The faster it flows, the more air it demands to feed it. But some of that air is needed for the sidepods to be able to help increase the speed of the underbody airflow by sealing off the sides (increasing the difference in air pressure between the under and upper body) and then making its way between the rear wheels and over the diffuser. Because in that way it draws the air from the tunnel diffuser harder, thus increasing its speed. Where is that balancing point? How much air to feed directly to the underbody, how much around the sides to speed up flow through the underbody?

x Sergio Perez Red Bull 2023 Spanish GP

Rival teams are looking to emulate the Red Bull sidepod philosophy

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Then there’s the question of how robust those airflows are and this is where the Ferrari has been particularly struggling. In still conditions, low fuel and on brand new tyres, it’s pretty fast. Its qualifying average for the season so far is second only to Red Bull, quicker than Aston Martin and Mercedes by 0.3sec and 0.4sec respectively. Some of that is probably flattered by Charles Leclerc’s acrobatics at Baku especially, but there’s no question it’s a better car on Saturdays than Sundays.

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Introduce some variables in wind conditions, load it with fuel and have it on old rubber, it tends to be slower than the Aston in particular and even the Mercedes. It is particularly tricky at medium-high speeds, sometimes surrendering grip at the rear quite suddenly. The update, which comprises also a new floor, is to address this. “It’s a bit of a new direction,” says Carlos Sainz, “leading to we believe will be the right path into developing this car and making a bit more driveable, a bit more consistent in the race. It’s a first step. But it’s not going change our life from one race to another. It’s the first step of many.

“It’s been a tough start to the season but we still have a chance of a podium every weekend. You cannot imagine the effort Maranello has made trying to bring this package forwards. It was supposed to come a lot later in the season. The whole factory has been absolutely flat out to bring it here.”

But, as with the updated Mercedes, it can only be a compromised update based around a car which was conceived as something quite different and which will have built-in limitations. Red Bull moved the game on massively over the winter and that’s what has revealed each of the Mercedes and Ferrari concepts as limited in their potential. Their ceiling had already been reached while Red Bull found a whole lot more, probably through even better control of its aero platform enabled by the new extreme anti-squat rear suspension. But the real magic, the thing which has allowed these things to be so productive on the Red Bull, is almost certainly the design of the underfloor.

x Sergio Perez Red Bull 2023 Monaco GP

Keen eyes were on the Red Bull floor after Perez’s Monaco crash

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Hence why Sergio Perez’s car being craned up at Monaco after he crashed it in qualifying created such interest. In fact it’s not radically different to last year’s floor – but that was already visibly much more sophisticated than those of any other car. It has some extra kick-up sections towards the rear which may help explain its extreme drag reduction when DRS is used, but otherwise clearly operates in much the same way as last year, but with better pitch/dive control from the suspension, can be run lower.

As the two teams expected to close the gap went the wrong way, so Aston Martin’s great progress with a 2022 Red Bull type of car has been made even more obvious. But in the meantime, Mercedes and Ferrari have effectively wasted a year.

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