The dream has shattered. There was a moment when it seemed Ferrari could indeed challenge Red Bull alongside McLaren. The Woking team has lived up to expectations, with Lando Norris directly battling Max Verstappen, while Ferrari seems doomed to also fall behind Mercedes, slipping into the uncomfortable role of the fourth force.
The SF-24 does not meet expectations; instead, it disappoints. The upgrade package introduced in Barcelona provided more aerodynamic downforce, but the negative effect is that the increased downforce from the floor generates “porpoising,” or bouncing, in the fastest sections.
The term porpoising, which surprisingly marked the beginning of the ground effect cars, has been replaced in F1 discussions with “bouncing,” but the substance remains unchanged. The Ferrari loses downforce suddenly due to the bouncing, causing two negative effects: first, the drivers are forced to lift off the throttle in fast corners; second, the rear tires overheat due to the lack of grip.
Ferrari has been hit by a subtle enemy, one that is hard to detect in the wind tunnel and, therefore, difficult to eliminate. Simulations for Silverstone indicate that the SF-24 should be competitive, just as was expected in Austria, but we all know how that ended.
On Monday, Carlos Sainz was in the Maranello simulator; yesterday, it was Charles Leclerc’s turn. The drivers are working with the team to find a solution because the bouncing undermines the driver’s confidence. At the Red Bull Ring, both tried to compensate for the slower speeds in fast corners with more aggressive braking, leveraging one of Ferrari’s strengths.
The result was that by the second lap of the Sprint race on Saturday, brake disc overheating forced the drivers to lift and coast at the end of the straights, losing further performance. Clearly, this affects the drivers’ confidence. If they lose certainty, their feedback to the Maranello team becomes less precise, making it harder to find the best setup. It’s a vicious cycle.
Meanwhile, mechanics are constantly adjusting the brake ducts, trying to find the right cooling threshold without compromising the car’s efficiency, which is a balance that is very difficult to achieve, especially mid-season. The feeling is that the Maranello engineers are on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur downplays the issue: the French manager believes there is more potential in the SF-24 than is seen on track and that a bit of motivation in qualifying (both in team choices and driver motivation) could keep them ahead of Mercedes.
The fact is that Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes have upward performance trajectories. Only Ferrari is declining, and the drop must be stopped quickly. At the Silverstone circuit in the British Grand Prix, we will see a less powerful rear diffuser in the hope of controlling the “porpoising”: a step back in the hope of taking two steps forward later. We will see the rear wing designed for the English track and detailed modifications that are part of the British package, with the belief that three free practice sessions will be enough to find a compromise setup allowing the drivers to exploit the car. This is a crucial phase of the season: besides defending second place in the Constructors’ Championship from McLaren’s rise, it’s important to establish certainty in defining the SF-25, a car that will feature a pull rod front suspension and a new chassis with different weight distribution.
The Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton, as it’s already called, must not carry over the hidden flaws of the SF-24.
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