Ferrari and inverted sidepods: a technical element that did not prove very effective. Is the path taken by Ferrari on aerodynamic updates not the correct one?.

Being Ferrari is really complicated in Formula 1. This is what recent history teaches us. Yes, because although the Italian team is the most successful in the history of the most important motorsport category, at the same time it “boasts” extremely negative records. There is no need to mention them because every fan of the red team knows them perfectly. To ensure that things change, several factors need to be put in place. The Prancing Horse has been trying for some time and has succeeded in various fields. Team principal Frederic Vasseur is putting in maximum effort to try to heal an environment which has been affected by the recent defeats.

This is also why his statements are almost always aimed at the positive side of things. Certainly, such an approach can provide mental energy to the working group. However, it must be said that observing one’s work with extreme optimism is not always the best approach, especially if the scenario in question is continuously repeated in front of the media and the results do not actually change. A context that can become harmful, in short, achieving the opposite effect. We discussed this in the past few days, explaining the related maneuvers to correct various aspects that still refuse to work properly.

The French manager recently pointed out that his team has 60% more points than in 2023. Ferrari puts this data at the mercy of fans through Frederic Vasseur’s comments. To be fair, the Frenchman admits that the Maranello team has performed poorly on several weekends during the 2024 Formula 1 championship. We are referring especially to the period from June onwards, when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have collected mediocre performances after the historic triumph scored by Charles Leclerc on the streets of Monte Carlo in the Monaco Grand Prix, with his Maranello teammate also on the podium on that occasion. Frederic Vasseur also emphasizes the importance of not losing points in negative moments, mentioning the events in the last round ahead of the summer break, the Belgian Grand Prix: at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the Monegasque driver finished ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. All true, but unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Canada, Spain, Austria, and Silverstone.

Ferrari’s reaction to the problems related to introduction of aerodynamic updates has not worked. At least for now, this is the case. On the contrary, additional problems have emerged that, as extensively examined through various technical analyses during the last few weeks, have considerably narrowed the operating window of the Ferrari SF-24 single-seater. A car that started well, was balanced and easy to driver according to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but that the historic Maranello team has not been able to manage and improve over the course of the current competitive campaign. So does this mean that the path taken on aerodynamic updates not the correct one?

The most straightforward answer to this question is yes. On the other hand, when a Formula 1 car stops functioning properly and shows problems that previously did not exist, it is normal for the truth to be rooted in this issue. However, there is another factor that is rarely discussed. We refer to the first major aerodynamic update of the red car, the so-called inverted sidepods. “Shark inlet” that only Ferrari copied from Red Bull. Why? The Prancing Horse’s technicians introduced this solution in a very short time, convinced of its effectiveness after an analysis carried out without the necessary time.

Without the possibility of examining the Computational Fluid Dynamics data and wind tunnel data, it is difficult to speculate on this subject. However, Red Bull itself has realized that this solution did not provide all the expected results. For this reason, according to information gathered by the editorial staff of FUnoanalisitecnica directly from the track, it seems that the technical group led by Pierre Waché is considering “removing” this setup on the 2025 car. This choice was strongly supported by the Frenchman himself, while Adrian Newey was not at all convinced of this idea and even opposed.

On one hand, the inverted sidepods offer advantages in the undercut area by expanding this zone, but on the other hand, they seem to generate aerodynamic limits. We are talking about the mere management of the flows that circumnavigate the car’s body. Although Red Bull, as mentioned, is not 100% satisfied with the solution, it can still boast a good part of the expected advantages. As for Ferrari, it seems that the percentage of gain achieved with this technical solution is significantly below expectations. Does it work? Even if only slightly, yes. This is why it has been maintained.

Does it work as the Ferrari technicians would have liked? Unfortunately, no. This is the verdict. Furthermore, with the latest aerodynamic updates to the floor, things have indeed become unexpectedly complicated. Several teams believe that having reached the third season of the current regulatory framework, the performance convergence has made many cars reach the performance ceiling. For this reason, bringing working updates is increasingly complicated. It is better to focus, at least for the top teams, on “refining” their basic concepts to unlock unexpressed performance and fine-tune the weaknesses.

This is a choice shared by various teams. McLaren is the team that suffers the least headaches from this point of view, which is why it has changed its update plan for the second half of the 2024 Formula 1 championship. Mercedes will follow the path traced by the Woking team, while Red Bull should also bring a more significant aerodynamic update package in September. Ferrari, however, has a lot of work to do, because among these four teams, it has the car that needs the most correction as soon as possible, also considering the focus that needs to shift to the 2025 Formula 1 car in the next period. A race against time that could, however, straighten out the red team’s championship at the beginning of autumn.