Ferrari, all the technical innovations of the SF-23 at the Saudi Arabia-Jeddah GP: wings and bottom - Corriere.it

Ferrari, all the technical innovations of the SF-23 at the Saudi Arabia-Jeddah GP: wings and bottom - Corriere.it


Of Julian Duchess

In Jeddah Leclerc and Sainz on the track with updates to make the most of top speed without compromising driveability. The single pylon wing rejected in Bahrain is back

The SF-23 is presented in the first free practice with a different aerodynamic package than seen in Bahrain. The single pylon rear wing had been introduced to the collective tests but a mobile flap failure had made it advisable to send it back to the factory for the appropriate revisions. Tested on the track again in the free practice sessions at Sakhir, to check it, it had reported oscillations dictated not so much by anomalous flexibility but, as far as we understood, by installation problems. The technicians have revised the hardware to resolve the instability. .

The single pylon rear wing

This should come as no surprise as the single pylon wing is an absolute novelty for Ferrari. It has fastening adjustments that are extremely difficult to achieve in a short time. Other cars that - like Red Bull - introduced it some time ago had problems at the start. The Maranello team will come back to check if the problems have been solved in free practice for the Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah. The fact that they are already installed on both Leclerc and Sainz cars seems positive. The wing in question has a slightly deeper main profile in the centre, combined with two possible beam wing versions based on the percentage of downforce to be obtained. But the possibility of flexing more backwards than the classic double pylon, decreasing the resistance to forward movement at high speed, which makes this type of solution interesting. In essence, a wing that ends up improving both cornering grip and straight-line efficiency, especially when DRS is closed, therefore in the race.

The new anti-understeer front wing

After testing revealed some unexpected understeer issues, the engineers at the factory set about speeding up some of the updates. Other major parts will be seen from Melbourne. The new front wing has been redesigned at the junction between the endplate and airfoils and tunneled to produce forward downforce while improving the out-wash range of the previous specification, hence the quality of downforce. In other words, pushing the amount of flows to the sides of the vehicle differently to induce a greater percentage towards the body and the rear. It is possible that the new Ferrari could be a super-efficient single-seater, i.e. excessively low on load. This can be corrected with appropriate modifications to the wings. The introduction of this sensitive element which slightly shifts the aerodynamic map of the vehicle is linked to the possibility of having the right front-to-rear load ratio to ensure correct balance.

The edge of the bottom changed

finally, the outermost part of the edge of the floor was redesigned by raising the sill in front of the rear wheels. Look for some extra load points near the SF-23 speaker. Modification which appears to be closely linked to the front and which should help to increase the general downforce values.

The trim node

On the very fast street circuit of Jeddah it will be crucial to offer the riders the best possible setup combined with a medium-low downforce. The main objective is very clear: to quickly provide the right confidence to the pilots because the time is obtained by passing a few centimeters from the Arab walls but without sacrificing top speed.

March 17, 2023 (change March 17, 2023 | 15:32)



Source link