Ferrari brings revised front wing to Austrian Grand Prix

The tweaks were trialled at a filming day Ferrari conducted at Fiorano earlier in the week where its F1 challenger ran alongside its Le Mans-winning Hypercar.

This was a shrewd move by the Scuderia, given that teams have less time to evaluate parts during free practice at the Red Bull Ring because it is a sprint event.

The changes that Ferrari have made are pretty extensive but mainly focus on the outboard section of the wing and endplate in order that the front tyre wake can be handled a little differently.

This also has the benefit of improving flow downstream for the revisions Ferrari introduced to its sidepods and floor at the Spanish GP.

Ferrari SF-23 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The Austria tweaks include a total overhaul of the endplate, with a more rounded profile favoured on the leading edge, while the whole surface now curves out from the centreline (top, new).

The gap between each element in the junction of the flaps and endplate has also increased, whilst the cutout in the lower rear quarter of the endplate has also been amended due to the arrival of an inboard canard.

This is similar to the one we’ve seen from the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Haas, earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, the diveplane on the outer face of the endplate has been completely revised, with the S-shaped variant ditched in favour of a more simplistic curvature.

This reshaping has also resulted in the diveplane being set back from the leading edge of the endplate when compared with its predecessor.

There are also changes to the flapped section of the wing, with the chord length of the upper elements altered, while a Gurney flap has also been optioned on the outboard portion of the upper flap’s trailing edge.

Ferrari SF-23 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

A subtle change has also been made to the nose, with the vanity panel now falling slightly short of the leading edge of the front wing’s second element, rather than being mounted right on it, which also results in a change to the shape of the nose tip.