Ferrari between bouncing and high hopes: why SF-24 can still win in 2024 F1 season. Ferrari wins at Monza, but the SF-24 hasn't stopped surprising yet.

After Monza (and after the bouncing), the Ferrari SF-24 can still win in Formula 1. The performance shown at the Temple of Speed is quite encouraging, despite the unique nature of the Italian track. The masterpiece by Charles Leclerc and the engineers of Maranello, with the single pit stop that surprised McLaren’s rivals, is not just a matter of chance: Ferrari is now back in the leading group.

All weekend, we kept telling the same story: even if Ferrari performed well here at Monza, it would only be due to the peculiarities of the circuit. With very low aerodynamic drag, bouncing should have been almost absent, and without hopping, the SF-24 could make the most of its characteristics.

Sunday confirmed these assumptions, giving Charles Leclerc his second victory in front of the Italian crowd, after 2019. The SF-24 was fast, efficient, and gentle on the tires: qualities that cannot go unnoticed. In fact, Monza clarified an important point: if the new floor is confirmed in the upcoming races, Ferrari could be up there with McLaren.

A glance at the past to think about the future
Monza is indeed a unique circuit, but it’s also a track that, statistically, rewards good engineering. It’s a circuit where victories aren’t “by chance,” but require as much aerodynamic efficiency on the straights as the ability to stick to the asphalt in fast corners. In past years, the Italian Grand Prix has often been won by future world champions.

It was the case in 2022 and 2023 when Max Verstappen celebrated with Red Bull. In the two editions of the new wing car era, the best car on the grid was the one that eventually triumphed at the Autodromo.

But previous seasons tell the same story: in 2021, Max Verstappen or Hamilton would have won if not for that now-famous crash. In 2020, without penalties, Lewis Hamilton would have still won with Mercedes. Brackley secured five consecutive victories from 2014 to 2018. In fact, the only truly “atypical” win, if we want to call it that, was Ferrari’s in 2019.

SF-24 against bouncing
The upcoming races, as well as the two championship standings still at stake, hinge on bouncing. Frédéric Vasseur had predicted that this would be Maranello’s focus, with the clear goal of eliminating it by the end of the summer break. The new floor, introduced at Monza, moves in that direction, but updates to the SF-24 are not yet complete.

Another aero package is expected to arrive between Singapore and Austin, and there is confidence in the factory. The car had already shown promise in the first part of the season: the concept behind it is good, the problem was the disastrous update introduced in Spain. But nothing is beyond correction in an era where cars are so sensitive to engineering tweaks that even small adjustments can radically alter performance.

Baku and Singapore will be as unique as Monza, where Ferrari could display its full technical repertoire without the fear of bouncing. Of course, McLaren remains the team to beat, as they could have performed much better at Monza. But the SF-24 is in the mix: it only takes a personal spark or a rival’s mistake, and the Italian anthem could once again ring out in the championship.

Source: f1ingenerale