The SF-23 has been unveiled in front of 500 fans at Ferrari’s Fiorano track in Italy, with the car conducting several laps around the circuit. The vehicle is the 69th car built by Ferrari and will compete in the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship.
Adorned in a brand-new, matt red colorway created by Ferrari Design, with contrasting naked carbon components, the SF-23 took to the circuit with Charles Leclerc in control for a couple of laps, followed by Carlos Sainz.
Powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter, 90° V6 (engine code 066/10) capable of 15,000rpm, the SF-23 is built on a carbon-fiber composite honeycomb chassis, with a push-rod front suspension and a pull-rod rear suspension setup. With coolant, oil and the driver on board, the vehicle weighs just 798kg.
“Over the past five weeks, I have had the chance to get to know many members of our team,” said Frédéric Vasseur, team principal. “We have a great group of people here and it is clear that motivation is high throughout the team. Today we launch our 2023 contender together with our partners and Tifosi, and I am very pleased with how the car looks.
“Our focus will soon shift to another aspect, which is its speed and performance. We have two talented drivers who are both eager to win and have the skills needed to achieve this. Our objective is to win the championship, which will not be an easy task as our competitors will have exactly the same target in mind. We have to bring the right mindset with us and always work on being better tomorrow than we are today.”
“Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we raced last year, but in reality, it has been completely redesigned,” explained Enrico Cardile, head of chassis area. “On the aerodynamic side, we increased vertical downforce, to adapt further to the new aero 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 at the track.
“The most obvious changes are in the area of the front suspension where we have moved to a low track rod. 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.”
“Preparation work for the new season is usually one of the busiest times of the year and this winter was no exception,” commented Enrico Gualtieri, head of power unit area. “PUs have been frozen since last year, including fluids, oil and fuel and the only modifications allowed are those related to reliability, which was our Achilles heel last season.
“We focused on the internal combustion engine and the electric motors. At the same time, we tried to capitalize on the experience gained on track last season and looked at all the feedback and signs of weakness from the PU components we used. We also revised our assembly procedures.”
Gualtieri continued, “We tried to understand the root causes of the problems we encountered on track and used all our available tools to try and solve them. It involved all areas, from design to experimentation, to try and test new solutions in a very short space of time. The work never ends, based on continuous improvement of the components to try and reach the required level of reliability.”
The SF-23 will compete in its first race with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz behind the wheel at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5, 2023.
