F1, Ferrari: why Monza performance is a sign of hope for 2023 season

09/14/2022 06:45 AM

Time for reflections and evaluations for Scuderia Ferrari during the very long break ahead of the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the Singapore Grand Prix, which takes place at the beginning of October. The triple header Belgium – Holland – Italy after the summer break was rather a frenetic succession of linked events: three consecutive weekends in which it was really complicated to even analyze data or attempt to evaluate the situation, focusing for example on the fundamental elements in which to improve for the future.

Yet at Ferrari they managed to also carry out work with this goal in mind, completing a decent weekend at Monza, despite the calculations and assumptions foreshadowing something else.

In fact, although in the end the first place in the Italian Grand Prix was nevertheless secured by the current world champion Max Verstappen, Ferrari was not completely defeated this time. For a moment it almost seemed the F1-75 could return to the cheerful glories of the first part of the 2022 F1 championship, when Ferrari’s challenger was the best car on the grid for most of the time, while on the contrary the RB18 had even suffered some worrying retirements in the first rounds of the campaign.

A scenario that is so far from today’s situation, as to be almost seem paradoxical: a trend that, however, has found a minimum of confirmation only on the Italian territory, since the previous two races have only contributed to further sinking the image of the red team.

Another fact that probably gives us food for thoughts, is also the point of view of the drivers themselves: during the press conference ahead of the Monza weekend, especially in the opinion of Charles Leclerc, the weekend would have been unquestionably difficult for Ferrari, precisely on the basis that this layout was not ideal to the characteristics of the F1-75 car.

The layout of Monza therefore suggested an almost easy triumph for the Red Bull RB18, but as we later saw, this was not the case. Or rather, there was indeed a victory for the Austrian team, but there was also a Ferrari team that (partially) could challenge its opponent. The recovered performance of the F1-75, which should be taken with due caution, is the result of a combination of correct settings (such as a height ride more suited to its basic operating modes) aimed at making the best possible version of the single-seater on this track where it is very difficult to make predictions.

The choice therefore fell on an aerodynamic set-up with a lower downforce configuration than, for example, the RB18. Keeping in mind that, however, this decision would have affected the tire degradation which would have been greater than Red Bull’s, as the Austrian team had opted for wings with higher angles of attack precisely to prevent this phenomenon.

Although in the end the choice made by Milton Keynes’ men was the most effective one, with a very well balanced car in the slow and accelerating sections, the home team on the contrary managed to build a small gap, despite that (as expected) considerable degradation. Especially if we take into consideration the first stint, in which Charles Leclerc himself later confirmed that he had a good feeling with the car and with the softs.

So this could in all respects represent an excellent sign for the Maranello team: if the world championship is presumably lost this year (Max could win the title definitively even in Singapore, according to hypothetical calculations), there is no reason why Scuderia Ferrari should not be able to at least finish the championship with several good consecutive performances.

First of all for the mere aspect of raising the spirits within the team and the drivers themselves, but also and above all because ending a fluctuating season like this one in a positive way, creates good conditions for coming back strong in 2023.

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From an analytical point of view, getting to know the F1-75 even better can only be a further reason for analyzing and studying the last details of the new version of Ferrari’s car, which will be revealed as usual around February.

For now, Ferrari can see the flame that had given hope for a world-championship car spark again: greater knowledge and insight mean greater awareness in directing the development and the design towards a winning car for the next Formula 1 season.

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