Ferrari technical director chassis and aerodynamics Enrico Cardile has suggested that a new brake caliper technology exploited last season by Red Bull may have contributed to the RB19's crushing success.
Red Bull’s 2023 car was largely a carryover of its 2022 contender, but the team’s relentless pursuit of performance and ability to optimize its RB19 proved to be insurmountable for its rivals.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner credited part of the team's success to their efforts to shed excess weight from their original design, a challenge they had faced since the introduction of F1’s ground effect regulations in 2022.
This weight reduction, coupled with the team's meticulous attention to detail and their unwavering commitment to innovation, enabled them to maintain a significant advantage over their competitors.
Cardile believes that part of Red Bull’s weight gains may have been achieved thanks to a new brake caliper technology, although the Italian engineer dismissed a benefit delivered through size.
“I don’t think the other teams have smaller calipers,” the Ferrari engineer told Auto Motor und Sport.
“This is a so-called open-source component. If a team changes something, they have to share the CAD design plans with everyone else. We can see them.
“Of course, we also study photos. As far as I can tell, the size of the brake calipers is almost the same for all teams.
“Red Bull has introduced a new technology this year that differs from what Mercedes and we have been using for several years. It may be that these new calipers bring a weight advantage. You have to look at that.
“But whether the part is a millimetre bigger or smaller makes no difference.”
While Ferrari and Carlos Sainz managed to deny Red Bull a clean sweep in the championship thanks to the Spaniard’s win in the Singapore Grand Prix, the Scuderia was unable to mount a consistent challenge on its rival throughout the season.
Ferrari’s main weakness resided in the unpredictable behaviour of its SF-23 machine from circuit to circuit, while consistency was precisely a strong point for Red Bull’s RB19.
Speaking at last month’s Casci d’Oro and Volanti ACI awards in Italy, Cardile stated that Ferrari’s 2024 design would not be a mere evolution of last season’s car.
“We closed the gap to Red Bull during the season after understanding why the performance of the SF-23 was not what we expected,” he said.
“Evolution or revolution in 2024? It will be a different car, that’s for sure. The limits of this year’s Ferrari have been fixed.”
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