How Ferrari used 2023 F1 season FP to rival Red Bull and prepare for 2024 season

At a time in F1 where on-track tests have become a rarity, Ferrari utilized the Free Practice (FP) sessions of the 2023 season to lay the groundwork for their ambitious 2024 campaign.

In a season dominated by Red Bull Racing on all fronts, Ferrari, who were initially expected to put up a strong challenge, were left biting the dust for a major chunk of the campaign as the Italian outfit struggled to put up a fight.

However, halfway through the season, the Prancing Horse adopted a new strategy in order to prepare the team for the latter stages of 2023, and more importantly, the 2024 season. The strategy revolved around the absence of routine on-track tests.

Once a staple in the F1 calendar, the lack of on-track tests has compelled teams to rely on virtual simulations or opt for targeted FP sessions to evaluate potential developments. The Italian team embraced this unconventional approach, leveraging insights gained from the SF-23 to inform the ongoing evolution of their 2024 contender.

Speaking to Motorsport Italia (h/t formu1a.uno), team principal Frederic Vasseur revealed that the team focused on sacrificing FP time in the Netherlands during the Dutch GP weekend, for tests. This helped them unlock insights that proved to be instrumental in enhancing the team's performance and rivaling Red Bull in the latter part of the season. Vasseur said:

"We sacrificed the free practice in Holland to do tests and perhaps that's where we understood something more and allowed us to perform better at the end of the season."

Ferrari finished third in the Constructors' Championship without winning a race all season. They were a massive 454 points away from Red Bull's title-winning tally.

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Ferrari team principal quashed the idea of private testing due to cost cap

Frederic Vasseur dismissed the idea of reintroducing private tests due to the constraints imposed by the budget cap.

Despite acknowledging the potential advantages of private tests in accelerating the convergence of teams and enhancing on-track action, the Ferrari team principal highlighted the prohibitive costs associated with such moves under the financial regulations. He said, via the aforementioned source:

"Private tests? They would help in development but they have an enormous cost and with the budget cap it is not possible"

The budget cap, introduced to level the playing field and control excessive spending, restricts teams from undertaking on-track tests that involve additional expenses. Vasseur added:

"With the budget cap it is impossible to carry out tests on the track, given the cost it would entail to produce other parts, a Power Unit for that mileage and everything needed to carry out a test."

After losing out on the runner-up spot to Mercedes in the Constructors' championship by just three points, Ferrari would hope to make a comeback in the upcoming season. They last won the Constructors' title in 2008.