The designers of Ferrari's 2023 car say it's a complete re-design on last year's F1-75, which started the season quick out of the blocks but hit reliability problems later in the season.
The new SF-23 does not look all that different from its predecessor, but head of chassis development Enrico Cardile and Enrico Gualtieri - in charge of Ferrari’s power unit department - insist looks can be deceptive.
“Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we raced last year,” Cardile told the media at the official launch event at Ferrari's private Fiorano test circuit at Maranello on Tuesday. “But in reality it has been completely redesigned.
"The bodywork is a more extreme version of what we saw last season," he explained.
“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," he continued. "The front wing is also different, as is the construction of the nose.
© Ferrari
There had been media reports that Ferrari has unlocked significant extra horsepower from the power unit over the winter, despite a freeze in any engine development primarily aimed at improving performance.
That was laughed off at the time by new team principal Frederic Vasseur, who said that the work was focused on better reliability. But of course, if that should happen to unlock more power and speed from the unit at the same time...
“Preparation work for the new season is usually one of the busiest times of the year and this winter was no exception,” Gualtieri said when asked about the work of the power unit department.
“[Power units] 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 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," he continued. “We focused on the internal combustion engine and the electric motors.
©Ferrari
"At the same time we tried to capitalise on the experience gained on track last season, and looked at all the feedback and signs of weakness from the PU components we used.
"Clearly this involved various design areas of some components, but at the same time, we also revised our assembly procedures.
The team was confident enough in the new car to take the unusual step of dovetailing the formal launch event with actual track time, a 'demo run' of five laps rather than a full filming day allowing Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to head out in full view of the cameras.
It could have been a very embarrassing moment if the SF-23 had broken down, but all went well leaving Ferrari basking in the delight of the Tifosi invited to watch from the grandstand.
"Everything went smoothly," Leclerc reported. "Obviously with two laps it's difficult to go into details but I already gave my feedback to the engineers once I was in the car to get the first feeling ... The car was running well, smooth, so everything went really well."
But despite the bright start, the effort to date is only the beginning as Gualtieri was first to admit. "The work never ends, based on continuous improvement of the components to try and reach the required level of reliability.
“We’ve had some positive feedback on the test bench on some of the changes we’ve introduced, but as usual the track will tell us if we’ve done a good job."
Ferrari will be packing up their new contender for shipping to Bahrain International Circuit in time for three days of pre-season testing next week from February 23-25.
After that it's just a matter of days before the first race of the season at the same venue. Leclerc won last year's Bahrain GP and will be hoping to do the same this year to get Ferrari's season off to the best possible start.
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