First details of Ferrari’s 2023 F1 car revealed

With teams committing to their concepts for next season, RacingNews365.com technical analyst Paolo Filisetti explains the Red Bull-inspired evolution going on with Ferrari’s 2023 car, and their reasons for optimism.

We have repeated it several times, the Ferrari of 2023 will not be a revolution, at least on a visual level, compared to the F1-75. This does not mean, however, that the aerodynamic concept will replicate its predecessor, quite the opposite.

Bearing in mind that the major innovations capable of increasing the competitiveness of the car will be on the floor, not least caused by the regulatory changes, the next single-seater from Maranello will also show distinctive elements in the visible parts.

The shape of the sidepods will maintain the same ‘carved’ profile on the upper part, with large grilles for heat dissipation, and it will see a profound narrowing towards the rear. In fact, the area commonly described as the ‘coke bottle’ in front of the rear wheels will be slightly further forward, compared to the F1-75, in favour of a less complex air flow management directed towards the rear.

In practice, if we consider the bodywork which on the F1-75 extended behind the engine cover, narrowing into a semi-circular section (of variable diameter depending on the layout / ambient temperatures), should be replaced by horizontal vents which it will extend all the way over the rear suspension members.

This is a configuration partly borrowed from the Red Bull RB18 which, being equipped with sloping sides, was forced to dissipate heat through the rear vent and grilles of varying width, on the sides of the cockpit and at the base of the engine cover (the latter feature present from the version introduced at Silverstone).

In essence, the car body of the 675 (as per the internal design code), will be characterised by different volumes compared to the F1-75, in favour of a lower drag. One change, which according to our information should further characterise the new single-seater, concerns the lower profile of the sides.

The step between their vertical section and the floor side should appear much more marked. Basically, a sort of channel would be created, which follows the “double floor” principle, masterfully interpreted on the World Champion RB18.

In a certain sense, it would be a natural evolution of the previous project, which would not completely disrupt the internal packaging of the cooling system, but would coincide with a different placement of the deformable structures on the sides of the cockpit (anti-intrusion cones).

The chassis, in fact, in its lower section on the sides of the cockpit, and in the fuel tank area, will be profoundly different from its predecessor, maintaining, according to rumours, a precise correspondence only in the pick up points of the engine. The work in evolving the location of internal mechanics then involved the total makeover of the gearbox, to allow the adoption of the diffuser characterised by a 10mm elevation of its junction with respect to the Venturi channels.

The suspensions have remained unchanged, but the rear one, precisely to allow for a different floor design in this area, would have a different location of the elements inside the gearbox.