Rivals trial Red Bull INSPIRED upgrades ahead of Austrian GP

verstappen, red bull, canada, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

Ferrari

Rivals trial Red Bull INSPIRED upgrades ahead of Austrian GP

The team are said to have used a filming day to test out much-needed updates

Dan Davis

Wednesday 28 June 2023 18:57

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Ferrari are said to have taken inspiration from Red Bull after using a filming day to test new car updates ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz jumped back behind the wheel of the inconsistent SF-23 at the team's test track on Tuesday to trial a new front wing assembly and revised floor, according to multiple reports.

The two components are thought to have drawn upon elements of Red Bull's RB19, the reigning champions currently romping to yet another title after winning all eight races to date this year.

The Scuderia are also set to introduce a new rear wing at the Red Bull Ring.

Sainz tried out the fresh front wing during the morning of testing while Leclerc handed the updated underbody, which includes modified floor fences, its debut in the afternoon.

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Intriguingly, the floor boasts tweaks that resemble the direction taken by Red Bull and Aston Martin, with both constructors reaping the rewards in superb fashion.

Every Formula 1 team is able to use two filming days over the course of the season and Ferrari used their second to collect data on the new parts.

Red Bull have dominated this year and remain unbeaten

Vasseur confident Ferrari are improving

At the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month, Ferrari unveiled an array of upgrades, including sidepods not unlike those deployed by Red Bull.

Speaking after the Canadian Grand Prix, in which Leclerc and Sainz climbed from 10th and 11th to finish fourth and fifth respectively, team boss Fred Vasseur insisted Ferrari are "going in the right direction".

Vasseur also pointed out that once slower cars were out of the way of the two drivers, Leclerc was able to match the pace of Fernando Alonso.

"The last stint we did with the same tyres as Alonso for almost the same number of laps and it was plus or minus one second (difference between the cars) after 30 laps," he said.

"You can always say (Max) Verstappen was not flat out, but I don't think that his personality is like this. Compared to two or three races ago, we finished 10 seconds behind and it was almost the (same) gap (as) at the end of lap one."