Ferrari opted for the in-wash bathtub solution, Mercedes had its zeropods, and Red Bull went for a downwash idea.
As time has gone by, most of the grid have picked up the downwash route and pushed their development in that direction.
Last weekend Mercedes finally relented too, with its upgrade package at Monaco moving to its version of that solution. Now, in Spain, Ferrari has shifted in that direction too, which leaves Haas as the only outlier.
But while Ferrari has gone towards what Red Bull has been doing since the start of 2022, it would be wrong to say that it has simply copied F1’s world champion squad.
Instead, the solution deployed on the SF-23 is a descendant of the original downwash ramp solution but it also carries a hefty dose of the Scuderia’s own DNA.
This is largely to do with the infrastructure that’s already in place, with both the ‘S’-shaped chassis duct retained and the SIS bulge having to be enlarged to cater for the bodywork beneath the inlet that’s creating a tighter undercut.
Interestingly enough, the ramped section of the SF-23’s bodywork is not as wide as many of its competitors either, with more space afforded for the floor and the opposing angle of the diffuser as it rises rearward.
Source: Autosport