Scuderia Ferrari completed a testing session with the 2.0 version of the SF-24 single-seater. The Italian side did it with Charles Leclerc at its home racing trak in Fiorano with the clear goal of gathering initial insights into the aerodynamic package that will be introduced in the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit next week. These insights will be valuable in building important know-how about the new upgrade package, which, in the week leading up to the Imola Grand Prix, will be processed by Computational Fluid Dynamics tools within the Ferrari sporting management. Through simulation, the setup for the seventh round of the 2024 Formula 1 season will be constructed, an advantage that the Prancing Horse intends to exploit to the fullest from now on.
Validating an upgrade is never simple for a Formula 1 team. On the contrary, once on the track, the package often doesn’t work perfectly, as it needs to be fine-tuned through technicians’ and drivers’ setups to move from a subjective to an objective opinion. This work was done in the first part of Friday with Charles Leclerc, who will later gave way to his Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz. Italian aerodynamicist and Ferrari Technical Director Enrico Cardile has led the Maranello team in producing this new aerodynamic package, a measure intended to enhance the speed qualities of the Ferrari SF-24 car and to reduce the gap to Red Bull as the season progresses.
To quantify the gain in terms of lap time, we should wait for the qualifying session of the upcoming race weekend, where on the banks of the Santerno river, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will fully demonstrate the potential of the red machine. In the meantime, we can examine the proposed solutions on a technical level, trying to understand the characteristics that Ferrari’s aerodynamicists have aimed to impart with the SF-24 single-seater. The foundation of the Maranello team’s car was very good, stable, but clearly not at the level of Red Bull, especially in the hands of Max Verstappen. Therefore, the goal is precisely this: to close the gap on the Austrian cars to therefore be able to compete with the Milton Keynes team every Sunday, regardless of the track conditions or track characteristics.
F1, Ferrari SF-24: RB20-style tray to modify pressure field and increase outwash
The first novelty that we can observe, thanks to the shots taken by our various news media outlets directly on the track, concerns the new configuration related to the sidepod inlets. Observing these images carefully, it is evident how the Ferrari team has done a great job to bring to the track, as soon as possible, a solution that echoed the Red Bull idea born from the brilliant mind of Adrian Newey, who once again in Formula 1 has raised the bar with the RB20 project. Without a doubt, the reaction capacity of the team led by Frederic Vasseur deserves applause, a team that is now more dynamic and aggressive without the atavistic fear of making mistakes.
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Inverting the so-called “tray,” the upper lip of the Ferrari SF-24 now extends upward. The reason is well-known; we have discussed it many times: to effectively increase the famous “undercut” by gaining several cubic centimeters. We are talking about an area that, within the current regulatory framework, is crucial for the performance of today’s Formula 1 cars, where every small extra bit of space available lends a big hand to the overall cause. With this modification, the engineers in Maranello have significantly adjusted the pressure field in this area of the car.
Generating greater pressure is crucial for creating the so-called outwash effect and, consequently, “cleaning up” the turbulence wake created by the rolling of the front tire as effectively as possible. Outwash takes shape through the production of pressure gradient towards the outside of the car. It’s a factor that enhances efficiency and, at the same time, also increases the effectiveness of the floor. Limiting the entry of lateral flows is indeed one of the most important aspects. Therefore, we expect modifications to the floor itself, which has remained unchanged so far during Friday’s test day at the Fiorano circuit, in order to adapt to the new solution.
Within this scenario, we also cannot exclude the presence of further updates in the Ferrari’s diffuser area. Observing the sidepods, there don’t seem to be any significant changes in their shape, although a slight slimming down appears to be present and will be further analyzed during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend. On the other hand, several competitors have recently modified precisely this area of the car. Another secondary but nevertheless effective update is evident in the cockpit area, where two conspicuous vertical appendages have appeared, which we could define as “vortex generators.”
Observing the impact of this “device,” we can assume that its primary objective is the further increase of outwash in the upper zone. The vortex generated by the appendage directs the fluid outward considering its very high energy level. Ferrari also modifies the attachment of the mirrors to the upper surface of the sidepods. The structure supporting the mirrors has been lengthened as it has aerodynamic significance and contributes to managing the flow above the side-pods. Finally, an opening has appeared in the area of the cannons to dissipate a greater amount of heat.
There’s also a small modification regarding the rear wing, which remains unchanged in its overall shape. The same specification has been adjusted on the exit edge of the second flap. Scuderia Ferrari has intervened on the so-called wing-tips, which now have a more pointed and rounded shape. This upgrade increases downforce by a few points without losing in terms of efficiency. It’s a choice inspired by Mercedes, which often makes comparisons between various specifications. In fact, the red car needs a bit more rear downforce to smooth out a slight oversteer, but at the same time, they must maintain good levels of a very important factor, namely the end-of-straight speeds.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
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