Ferrari has no clear idea how many tenths of a second separate the SF-24 from the Red Bull RB20 car. The same is true for the gap with the Mercedes W15, the McLaren MCL38, or the Aston Martin AMR24. All other discussions about time-based competitiveness that you might read are not reliable. Can Ferrari make an estimate? Certainly, and we can say that they have. However, it remains an exercise in itself until the track reveals the true competitive values in just a few days.
The really important news for the Maranello team led by Frederic Vasseur concerns the car’s ability to respond positively to setup changes. This was a distinct feature missing in the 2023 Formula 1 season, forcing drivers and engineers to often settle for the least bad solution, aiming to optimize a package severely limited by a weak front end. Moreover, as the 676 project was conceived, it carries a very wide development window.
Updates, as is common practice, are already widely planned and, following confirmation received in Sakhir during the pre-season testing session, finding perfect correlation between track, wind tunnel, and simulator, got the green light to proceed with the planned agenda smoothly. Ferrari is thinking of bringing forward some small micro aerodynamic innovations for the next weekend. Adjustments for other circuits that could however be initially evaluated during the free practice sessions in the Middle East, to then be definitively installed in the car in the near future.
Ferrari SF-24: Necessary clarifications regarding the Settings Used in the Bahrain Tests
During the three days of testing at the 5.412 km Bahrain International Circuit located in Sakhir, the SF-24 car mainly used medium/low mappings on the internal combustion engine. As for the hybrid system, a rather conservative profile was preferred, using a high State of Charge that releases a “lean” amount of energy recovered by the MGU-K and MGU-H. This does not mean that in some laps they did not choose to use more aggressive mappings to gather some extra data. It was clear they would do that.
The setup mirrored what is used during the usual race phases. We are referring to Engine 4 or Engine 5 mappings for the internal combustion engine. State of Charge 6 or State of Charge 7 when talking about hybrid energy, a setting that allows for an electric energy release equal or slightly dissimilar to that stored in the battery packs. The K2 overboost spread in the middle part of the track to maximize top speeds, with the use of K1 and K1 Plus coupled with Soc 8 in overtaking phases.
As mentioned, technicians and drivers tested more aggressive settings for a few laps, as usual. However, such a measure is implemented for two or three laps at most, to collect the desired information and then return to the standard regimes of high fuel tests. On the other hand, during a Grand Prix, it’s not feasible to maintain such high paces for 15 laps, so testing a scenario at maximum power would not provide great benefits.
Among the various race pace simulations, therefore, the red car’s engine performance was always essentially the same. A configuration that has been used for some time to test tires and, by extension, degradation. Receiving the order to push and not manage the tires to understand the wear of the SF-24’s compounds does not mean being able to use the maximum power on the endothermic engine and hybrid system for the entire run.
Indeed, that was not the case. Such an “order” referred to the fact that the drivers, in certain stints, were free from tyre management, thus being able to go flat-out without having to “care” for the tires in pre-established corners that usually destroy the tires. Through the onboard cameras of F1TV Pro, it was possible to observe what was mentioned through the dashboard located at the top of the steering wheel, added to the commands activated by the red team’s drivers.
Ferrari has improved in the mere aspect of tire management. By how much? We don’t know. Neither do they, precisely, until the competition gets tough. Meanwhile, some considerations on the first round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship. The Italian team is convinced that the PU 066/10 will play a significant role in Bahrain, considering the 4 long-speed sections present that, as expected, will limit the advantage on aerodynamic efficiency that Red Bull still enjoys compared to the SF-24.
The wait for the start of the 2024 competitive campaign is about to exhaust its strength. In a few hours, drivers and engineers will make their presence known in the press room with the usual comments and statements. Then, the following day, finally the track. But until Q3, the real value will not be revealed, to then understand the true performance in race trim. Moreover, let’s remember one fact: it takes at least 3 – 4 races to fully understand the competitiveness and characteristics of the F1 cars, a period during which technicians will be able to optimize the performance of this generations of racing cars.
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Source: Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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