Ferrari managed to log a healthy 136 laps on the opening day of 2023 Formula 1 pre-season in Bahrain - but a late run with Charles Leclerc caught the eye. Attached to the chassis and front wing were a series of struts with cameras pointing towards the inside of the front-wing. As it is testing, teams are allowed to do such things, with Ferrari being keen on measuring the performance of the underbody of the SF-23 machine. By having the struts in place, the team could control the distance of the front-wing from the ground, allowing them to gain vital information into how the underneath of the car is performing - crucial as this is where most of the downforce is created on ground-effect racing cars. The test is an old one, with Ferrari drawing inspiration from the late 1980s and the Benetton B189. That car was designed by Rory Byrne who would later head to Maranello in the Michael Schumacher heyday. Byrne returned to Ferrari as an advisor, and had a big hand in designing the 2022 F1-75, with his prior knowledge of ground-effects proving crucial.
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