The Ferrari for the 2024 Formula 1 season will be a car with a philosophy very different from this year. In Maranello, they have decided to change direction.
Fred Vasseur confirmed this, explaining that he encouraged the engineers to be bold, to take more risks than in the past. The engineers, led by Enrico Cardile, aimed to create a faster and, above all, easier-to-drive car for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
The flat bottom of the SF-23, especially in the latest version presented in Suzuka, provided a glimpse of the concepts that will form the basis of the 2024 F1 car.
The lower part of the SF-23 was also heavily constrained by the architecture and layout of the elements, preventing the adoption of larger Venturi channel sections than those originally chosen. The same goes for the diffuser, which was supposed to create higher downforce values, with a more evenly distributed load, to achieve stability in directional changes (fast corners). This is one of the goals that Enrico Cardile and the head aerodynamicist, Diego Tondi, set when defining the new car: Project 676, which has already been tested for months in the simulator and is now in the production phase.
Two directions were followed. Firstly, the increase in the section of the channel that develops between the floor and the sides, which is crucial to bring a more significant and quality airflow to the rear axle.
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Another equally important and radical intervention concerns the complete redesign of the gearbox to gain about 40 millimeters in width. Essentially, the central section of the floor, extending to the diffuser, will be significantly narrower on the new car, allowing the outgoing airflow from the diffuser and the airflow hitting the rear wing to be released, improving aerodynamic efficiency.
The suspension geometry has been revised. The Ferrari 2024 will not adopt the Red Bull scheme, which is Pull Rod at the front and Push Rod at the rear. The configuration will remain that of the SF-23 but with an extreme geometry. The upper front suspension arm will have strongly inclined arms, ensuring an anti-dive effect, accentuated at the front, and reducing longitudinal weight transfers.
The power unit (PU), although its development is frozen by regulations, will adopt usage methods already implemented by Ferrari in 2023, with a less abrupt supply of electrical energy during acceleration to reduce tire degradation.
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