Pre-season trial overview: Why establishing a hierarchy now is impossible?

Winter testing is primarily aimed at correlating the theories developed by engineers during the winter with CFD and wind tunnel testing. Once the cars are on the track, the goal is to drive with different settings, fuel loads, and types of tires in order to gather data.

How do you develop a racing car without driving?

Engineers use fluid mechanics simulation software to test thousands and thousands of aerodynamic part shapes while taking into account the constraints of mechanical component positions such as the engine, applied suspension types, and the more or less advanced position of the cockpit.

Each team is entitled to a quota of points for CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and wind tunnel testing based on their reversed position in last year’s ranking. Red Bull also received an additional penalty, reducing their quota by 10%.

How are data measured on the track?

Once the car is built, pressure sensor elements are placed on the single-seater. These parts consist of dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of Pitot probes and measure the airflow generated by the car. These measurements easily allow us to see if the air pressure corresponds to what should be produced in theory by the car. The data is then compared to wind tunnel tests, and if they do not match, adjustments must be made.

These devices are placed in front of the air intakes of the pontoons, just after the airflow has been deflected by the front wing and suspension arms, or in front of the rear suspension arms, or even at the rear of the monoplane, at the exit of the diffuser in order to measure the drag left by the F1 car.

Another way is to use flowviz. This mixture of paraffin and paint is applied to strategic areas of the F1’s bodywork. Once the F1 is in action, it allows the paint to spread on the bodywork, revealing the airflow generated by the race car. This technique highlights the interactions of airflows and thus the disturbances generated that should not occur.

We can easily determine if the work of the engineers is successful by looking at which teams have used the fewest Pitot probes and which ones have installed them until the last day.

However, this does not guarantee a hierarchy. We can only know who seems to have understood their race car and who seems to be lost and therefore potentially in the wrong position during the first race.

What are the testing conditions?

The stables are testing their race car with various settings, different fuel loads, and different tire compounds. A higher ride height allows for less downforce to be generated. A new engine will not be pushed to its maximum until each technical step is achieved and validated by the engineers. A heavy fuel load will affect tire degradation differently.

The teams will have thus tested hundreds of different tuning combinations over the three days, making it highly impossible to know which team has driven with which specific tuning.

How to determine a hierarchy?

At the dawn of the beginning of the 2023 F1 season, three days of testing are really not enough to determine a true hierarchy. Red Bull already seems ready and they are already confident. It is highly likely, therefore, that without any reliability issues during the Grand Prix, the Red Bulls will maintain their position as favorites on the track this weekend.

However, Ferrari did not suffer from major issues and could therefore drive to the fullest. The team has made progress and could therefore have some surprises if, for example, their engine power or ride height was not pushed to the maximum.

Alpine were satisfied with their trials but they have developed a new structure for their powertrain and still have a lot of work ahead to unleash their full potential. Therefore, it is likely that their current time is below their actual performance.

So meet in Q3 to find out more about the real hierarchy of this season’s start.