F1: Ferrari’s Achilles Heel in 2022 has attracted a lot of attention

If we had to point out just one fault with last year’s Ferrari car, reliability would surely be the most obvious choice. The Scuderia produced a powerful but unreliable engine that proved to be a headache throughout the year. This matter was carefully considered this winter. Additionally, the aerodynamics have been revised and the car already produces more downforce than last year.

Enrico Cardile, Ferrari’s chief designer, said the team managed to find more downforce in the new design, more radical than the previous car:

“Our 2023 car is an evolution of what we used last year, but actually, it’s been completely redesigned,” Cardile said. “On the aerodynamic side, we increased the downforce, to better adapt to the new regulations and achieve the desired balance characteristics. The suspension has also been redesigned, to support aerodynamics and increase the range of adjustments that can be made to the car on the track. The most obvious changes are in the front suspension area, where we now have a lower steering stem. The front wing is also different, as is the construction of the nose, while the bodywork is a more extreme version of what we saw last season.”

As for the power unit, it was also the subject of a lot of work on the part of Ferrari engineers:

“The power units have been frozen since last year, including fluids, oils and fuels, and the only modifications allowed are those related to reliability, which was our Achilles heel last season,” said Enrico Gualtieri, head of the units department. . Ferrari engine. “We focused on the internal combustion engine and electric motors. At the same time, we tried to use the experience we gained on the tracks last season and analyzed all the reactions and signs of weakness of the unit components we used. We also looked at the assembly processes. We tried to understand the root causes of the problems we encountered along the way and used all available tools to try to solve them. It involved all areas from design to experimentation to test new solutions in a very short time. The work is never done, based on the constant improvement of components to try to achieve the required level of reliability.”