The Ferrari SF-23 “has been completely redesigned” to play for the title

An evolution: this is how the news is presented car for the Team Ferrari, the SF-23, presented with great fanfare on this Valentine's Day. The Italian team has not shaken up its 2022 aerodynamic concept for the coming season and is focusing on stability.

The SF-23, a big evolution of the F1-75

However, according to Enrico Cardile, head of the chassis sector, the SF-23 is very different compared to its predecessor.. “Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we ran last year, but in reality it has been completely redesigned”, confided the Italian engineer. The Reds had to deal with the new regulations imposed for 2023, with a floor raised by 15 millimeters. “ Aerodynamically, we have increased the vertical support, to better adapt to new aero regulations and obtain the desired balance characteristics. » 

Still according to Enrico Cardile, the main notable change on the Ferrari SF-23 is in the suspensions, which have been redesigned to favor aerodynamics and the range of adjustments available. “The most obvious changes are to the front suspension, where we switched to a low track rod. The front wing is also different, as is the nose construction, while the bodywork is a more extreme version of what we saw last season. »

Meet SF-23, #Fans!

Introducing our 2023 challenger 🏎 # SF23 pic.twitter.com/O9uNS7mAIC

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 14, 2023

Ferrari has learned lessons from the past for the reliability of its engines

On the engine side, no revolution either, since the regulations require it (the engines are frozen until 2025). On the other hand, Ferrari has worked a lot on the reliability aspect of the Italian power unit, the black spot of the 2022 season. “We focused on the internal combustion engine and electric motors, explained Enrico Gualtieri, engine manager at the Scuderia. At the same time, we tried to capitalize on the experience gained on the track last season and we looked at all the feedback and signs of weakness in the PU components we used. »

Last season, Ferrari had many mishaps with the reliability of its power unit. Abandonments in Spain, Baku and Austria in particular had cost the Maranello firm big points. The Italian team has learned lessons from these engine failures to achieve a good level of reliability. “We have also reviewed our assembly procedures, continues Enrico Gualtieri. We tried to understand the root causes of the problems we encountered on the track and we used every tool at our disposal to try to resolve them. This involved all areas from design to experimentation to try to test new solutions in a very short period of time. »

“Be better tomorrow than we are today”

Improvement rather than an upheaval, this is the course chosen by Ferrari for 2023. At the helm, Frédéric Vasseur, who is still in a discovery phase of the Italian team. However, this does not prevent him from being ambitious in view of the changes made to the SF-23.

“We will soon focus on another aspect, namely its speed and performance, detailed the French director. We have two talented drivers who want to win and have the skills to do so. Our goal is to win the championship, which will not be an easy task because our competitors will have the exact same goal in mind. We must bring the right mindset with us and always work to be better tomorrow than we are today. »

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