The 2024 Formula 1 championship is proving to be less predictable than expected, especially what was seen in the final stages of the previous campaign The technical work done by the Ferrari technicians and engineers on the 676 project is bearing fruit, and along with McLaren, it seems races will no longer be a walk in the park for Max Verstappen and the mighty Red Bull team. After Charles Leclerc’s triumphant performance and race win in the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, in front of his home fans on the streets of Monte Carlo, which has some unique characteristics on the Formula 1 calendar, the updated SF-24 single-seater is now ready for its second major test after the Imola weekend, namely the Canadian Grand Prix, which will take place this week at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur urges the fans and media to not draw too many conclusions from the Monaco weekend, statements made by the French manager right after the initial celebrations in Monte Carlo for what was a splendid and well-deserved victory for Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari heading to Canada to confirm that the updated SF-24 car has also improved efficiency
Why will the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal be a critical test for the updated version of the Ferrari SF-24 single-seater? The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy was the first real shake-down for the Maranello car, when the Ferrari technicians introduced the first significant upgrades of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, and as we know, the Italian side underperformed at the Imola circuit partly due to a non-optimal setup. The initial feedback on the updates was positive, as discussed several times during the last few weeks. The Monaco circuit is a unique case, and Ferrari would have performed well there even without the updates. However, the Canadian Grand Prix is an important test to see if the Ferrari, besides increasing aerodynamic downforce, has also improved in terms of efficiency. The 2024 car’s compromise sacrificed some of the straight-line speed and single-lap performance that characterized the old SF-23. To be fast in Montreal, it will be necessary to have a good balance for straight-line speed, where Ferrari has been lacking compared to rivals Red Bull and McLaren since the start of the year. The MCL38 has made significant progress in this area, gaining a few kilometers per hour in straight-line speed without other compromises. There remains a question whether Max Verstappen and his RB20 single-seater will return to dominance or if the trend seen in the last three races will continue.
Scuderia Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren are therefore heading to Montreal to compete for the win in the ninth round of the Formula 1 season, knowing that with such close margins, race weekends will often be decided by very small details and especially by how teams prepare the setup prior to the race weekend. In Canada, there will be no new parts on the SF-24 car, which will revert to the medium-downforce configuration with the versatile rear wing seen in the first six Grands Prix and in an updated shape at the Imola circuit.
The rear downforce level will be more adjustable with the beam-wing, which should be compared in the two configurations: “gull wing” and single element. According to information reported by Italian journalist Rosario Giuliana for formu1a.uno, Ferrari’s first major aerodynamic package introduced at Imola accounted for about a quarter of the budget allocated for in-season updates. This is roughly in line with the financial plans established at the beginning of the year by the Maranello technicians. Development from here to the fall will focus on fine-tuning performance based on the development paths dependent on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix concept. No major updates are therefore expected for the Ferrari car until the British Grand Prix, the second step after Imola. Silverstone will thus mark the next round where new aerodynamic updates will be introduced by the Italian side.
We have detailed how the Maranello staff approached the car’s development with a significant overhaul starting from Imola. The package introduced last month in Italy is and will be the biggest of the year. Silverstone is the planned venue for the second evolutionary step, with an SF-24 that can be called a “2.1” version in terms of evolution and continuity. This indicates that, from Imola onward, updates will depend on the concept introduced in Emilia Romagna. It remains unlikely that Ferrari will push and advance the updates, for example, in Austria, a weekend that will be influenced by the Sprint format. The new parts introduced in the Britain Grand Prix have the clear goal of making another step forward by expanding the operating window, making the car more competitive under different layout and temperature conditions. The final decisions are being made right now, using data from Imola and upcoming data from Canada, along with continuous wind tunnel tests.
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