Ferrari started the third day of testing at Sakhir with a new, more loaded rear wing but equipped with a mono-pylon support which did not last long: Charles Leclerc was forced to return to the pits due to the failure of the mobile fap support On the right side. The solution was immediately disassembled and replaced with the medium load solution of the past few days, having to suspend the comparison evaluations between the two elements.
Detail of the rear wing mounted on Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-23 at the start of the session: the mobile flap broke and was removed
Photo by: George Piola
The Ferrari wing also had viewfinders that the technicians had put in to measure the flexes as speed and load varied, to compare the data. The experiment didn’t last very long due to the failure which shows how the teams reached the limit of materials to save weight. Too bad, because the mobile flap supports were less rounded and the mobile element had a greater chord with a more pronounced spoon.
Yesterday the redhead definitely improved her behavior on the track with the white tyres, C2, while she proved she doesn’t have the pace to counter the simply surprising pace of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
The Dutchman has already finished the day and a half available to him on the RB19 so we won’t see him in action today, because the Milton Keynes single-seater will be entrusted to Sergio Perez, while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will take turns at the wheel of the Ferrari to discover those qualities that have not yet emerged from the redhead.
Top speeds have definitely improved and the gap from Red Bull that was registered last year has almost disappeared, but the SF-23 can’t keep the same pace as the world champion team in long runs: after an interesting first lap with the yellow compound (which will be used in the Bahrain GP next weekend), there was a drop in performance due to the little energy being transferred to the rear tyres.
Let’s wait to see if the most charged wing will reappear: Ferrari, therefore, still works according to the race runs, but before each end of the session it will allow its drivers to simulate a qualifying session to find out what the SF-23’s potential will be in the dry lap…
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