Formula 1 | Ferrari: Red Bull is still far away but the updates are promising

from Barcelona, ​​Spain

Yesterday the Ferrari has introduced important innovations on the SF-23. In the first round it was Carlos Sainz to bring the Montmelò updates to the baptism, with a frantic wait in front of the Red garage in the minutes preceding the "morning" free practice session (13pm, not very morning). The Spanish driver's sensations were positive, despite the ninth position at the end of the first hour of testing. It's clear how the Scuderia used the whole day to test the new configuration without focusing on the lap time, and it's something we also saw in PL30, when Leclerc he had the chance to ride with the same specifications as his teammate.

From the analysis of times on race pace simulations, we notice how the SF-23 suffers less from tire degradation, the real Achilles' heel of this season's car. It's not a question of the suspensions, which remained intact and unchanged in the new update package introduced at Montmelò, also because the Ferrari has performed more than well in traction since last season, but it's a series of factors that lead the single-seater to overheat the rear tires quickly. The new wing unloads a single pylon for example, much lower than the Red Bull one was necessary to try to find a compromise from the point of view of speed, but it is clear that by doing so the tire will last less, and for this reason therefore these updates, as said by team principal Frederic Vasseur yesterday, will be used to put the Cavallino car in a position to be more competitive in the race, with bellies that are not exactly RB19-like, because you can see how the "tank" is still present, albeit less pronounced, and it is not utopian to think that the next car that will come out of Maranello will completely abandon this concept.

On the other hand, it is clear as day that a substantial change was necessary in the path to be taken to develop both this car and that of next year. Red Bull is now gone, they demonstrate it in every session of every weekend, and yesterday too Verstappen was no different. As said by Russell at the press conference, the single-seater designed by the genius of Adrian Newey has all it takes to win every race this season, clearly excluding unforeseen events of any kind. Ferrari is trying to remedy the situation conceptually and consequently technically, it is a path that requires months of hard work, and the results, if they ever actually arrive, will need time to reveal themselves.