F1, Ferrari SF-24: cornering equation and weak top speed in Miami

Scuderia Ferrari is making progress in Formula 1, under the vigilant guidance of team principal Frederic Vasseur. A learning curve that moves forward with a certain awareness that, finally, in the 2024 Formula 1 championship, is starting to bring worthy results. However, something is still missing and it should arrive in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit in less than two weeks. An important aerodynamic package that we have anticipated long ago and which, at least in theory, should bring a significant advantage to the red car. Defining it before seeing the car on track doesn’t make a lot of sense, as we always say. But in the meantime, let’s analyze what happened in Miami.

So, back to the ever-cheerful Fred Vasseur, who at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida showed off his great passion for friendliness, laughter, and joy. He celebrated with McLaren, okay. So what? There have many Ferrari fans who hit out at the Frenchman considering this to be disrespectful. The criticism directed against him for this matter seem a bit exaggerated to be honest. Nothing more. For the rest, the French manager said interesting things at the end of the Miami Grand Prix. One above all: “Red Bull’s comfort zone is no longer there.” Indeed, it seems impossible to disagree with him. The Milton Keynes team has lost two races out of six in this early part of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, which is basically double as compared to last year.

Moreover, the gap that still exists towards the competition has frankly narrowed. Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren are breathing down the neck of the Red Bull RB20 single-seater. The Woking team has already presented the evolutionary package and it seems to have worked very well. These were key changes that we have analyzed and explained in detail in the previous articles dedicated to the new modifications on the MCL38’s sidepods. The Prancing Horse, on the other hand, has chosen to only reveal the new shapes of the SF-24 car in Italy. Innovations that, if they work, as the Frenchman says, could close the performance gap and allow the red car to fight with Red Bull every race weekend. Putting pressure and competing on equal terms against the world champion team, in short.

The differences are very marginal at this moment. The Frenchman knows this and emphasizes it. That’s why he points out that the tuning of the cars, the 360-degree interpretation of the race weekend, and the quality of the work done on track by technicians, engineers and drivers will be crucial in order to optimize the results. Maximum concentration. Even higher than what we have seen so far. Because even if Ferrari will never admit it, a small hope of trying to fight for the championship still exists. After all, why not have it. It’s a correct motivation that can only contribute to the push.

F1, Ferrari couldn’t win in Miami

In terms of numbers, the basic version of the Ferrari SF-24 seen last weekend at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida played the role of the third force in terms of race pace. There are several reasons behind this. Already in the F1 Sprint race, a lack of end of straight-line speed was noticed, as we have previously explained. This was a significant factor on the American track considering the long high-speed sections between the second and the third sector. Carlos Sainz was stuck behind the Visa Cash App RB car of Daniel Ricciardo on Saturday and was therefore unable to pass the Australian despite having a much faster race pace. The lower top speed stemmed from the car’s less than excellent aerodynamic efficiency, which even with the drag reduction system open, couldn’t close the gap to competitors with the wing closed.

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The gap wasn’t large but still sufficient to limit performance. After the F1 Sprint, a change in downforce was requested in order to reduce aerodynamic drag, but it didn’t materialize. In general, the Ferrari SF-24 is a car with more oversteer, so excessively unloading the rear would have affected the balance of the red car. This limitation compared to Red Bull and McLaren, which are much stronger on this distinctive stretch, can widen the setup window and find a better compromise between cornering speed and top speed.

Being deficient in this fundamental aspect on particular tracks like Miami proves to be severely penalizing. This drastically reduces the chances of maintaining at least position on track once in front. Additionally, the Austrian cars have demonstrated great traction, which Ferrari has lost compared to last year. Another factor, combined with the drag produced by the red car, made overtaking impossible in the Miami Grand Prix. However, the SF-24 car showed a very good pace and balanced well in other areas of the track, such as the first sector, where on average they were only 1 second slower than Max Verstappen.

From a strategic point of view, there wasn’t much to do. The Safety Car didn’t help the Maranello team because Charles Leclerc had already made his pit stop. Putting on a yellow tire under Safety Car would have been detrimental, as Ferrari would have lost further positions on track which would have been difficult to recover given the low degradation. With Bern Mayländer entering the track, the SF-24 lost a position to Lando Norris. However, considering the British driver’s impressive pace aboard the MCL38, keeping him behind would not have been possible anyway, especially considering the very high top speeds of the British cars.

Looking at the telemetry data regarding the top speeds, it’s clear what has just been said. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were at fairly similar levels. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, not surprisingly, dominate this ranking. They were untouchable. For this reason, even without the help of the Safety Car, considering the great pace and ability to cut through the air, Lando Norris wouldn’t have struggled much to overtake Ferrari number 16, especially with the assistance of the drag reduction system.

Now the focus shifts to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which will take place on May 19th. The event will return to be held for the first time since 2022 after last year’s cancellation due to the flood and promises to be a true turning point in the 2024 Formula 1 season. After six races, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are leading, as predicted, both championships. However, Ferrari’s success in Australia and McLaren’s victory in Miami make the competition more exciting than what was seen in 2023, when the Milton Keynes team was clearly far ahead of the competition. After all, it was since 2018 that in the first six races, three different teams hadn’t conquered the top step of the podium.

Imola will be important to see if Red Bull will lose for the first time since 2022 two consecutive races, but also to understand which upgrades will work and which won’t. In Miami, McLaren made a super step with its MCL38, but only Lando Norris had the complete package available. In Italy, it will also be Oscar Piastri‘s turn to see his car updated. Then there’s obviously the highly anticipated Ferrari upgrade package, which can define the ambitions of the red team for this year. But if the hunters sharpen their weapons, the hare is ready to react.

According to recent reports in the German media, it seems that Red Bull will also bring some novelties to their car. This is the second intervention on the car after the updates introduced at the Suzuka circuit. This is a clear signal that the Red Bull technicians are aware of still having an advantage over the competition, but not as wide as in 2023. So, they want to avoid bringing the direct contenders too close to risk experiencing a more balanced championship than expected.

Ferrari SF-24 Miami