Ferrari plot new floor in upgrades battle with Mercedes and Aston Martin
The Italian manufacturer’s head of chassis area Enrico Cardile has led an initiative to fit the SF-23 with the major upgrade, according to Formu1a.uno.
Ferrari plan to test the new floor - plus new front wing and new rear brake ducts - at Fiorano on Tuesday next week.
But they won’t debut it at next weekend’s F1 Austrian Grand Prix because of the sprint race format, which gives teams only one hour of practice.
It means that Ferrari could bring the upgrade to the next race - the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 7.
Ferrari have slipped behind Mercedes and Aston Martin in the fight to challenge the dominant Red Bulls but are hoping this midseason change can reinvigorate their hopes.
They have seen Charles Leclerc on the podium just once this season so far.
Mercedes brought major upgrades to Spain, and Aston Martin did the same in Canada, so a new floor is set to be Ferrari’s response.
The importance of an F1 car’s floors has become heightened this season ever since both the Mercedes and the Red Bull machines were hoisted into the air by cranes, allowing photographers to snap images from underneath.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
