The start of the 2024 Formula 1 season is encouraging for Scuderia Ferrari, but at the same time, the Maranello team has some weaknesses. Distinctive traits of a car, the SF-24, which however is decidedly better than its predecessor. The Italian team has been working on it for some time. For this reason, it hopes to increase the competitiveness of the red car on two fronts with the upcoming updates. A new aerodynamic package which will most likely be introduced at the Imola circuit, that first of all has a clear intention: to unlock a part of the performance already present in the car but seen only sporadically in these first four rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 championship. This considering that although the handling is good, it is often too dependent on oversteer.
A phenomenon that offers a lot of rotation but in turn makes the rear end a bit too light at certain speeds. For the rest, it is obvious, the updates which will include inlet sidepod, sidepods, floor, wings, and diffuser will try to make the vortex structure of the Ferrari SF-24 even more effective. A step that would like to optimize the vertical push, being able to rely on greater downforce generated by the floor. An extra amount of load points that could allow a different downforce configuration of the wings on certain circuits and consequently increase the efficiency of the SF-24 single-seater.
After all, the goal has been clearly set: to put more pressure and try to annoy the reigning world champions as much as possible. A Red Bull team which through the first updates presented last week in the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit, reshaping inlet (also known as letterbox) and modifications to the cooling system, has obtained a benefit relative to the setup of the car. A Red Bull RB20 car now capable of delivering the required performance without excessively worrying about operating temperatures. On the other hand, Scuderia Ferrari shows a different approach: Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, Ferrari’s technical director, wants to be sure that the novelties proposed on the SF-24 will be effective, avoiding taking a wrong development path.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur seems generally satisfied. We refer to the expectations that the Prancing Horse had before approaching the 2024 Formula 1 racing campaign. The French manager has shown a lot of attention to certain factors and above all, unlike the previous mandate of Mattia Binotto, knows how to lead a team keeping it always under tension. This without creating mental overload. A sincere approach and at the same time free from unnecessary dreams of unattainable glory. The always cheerful Fred Vasseur, at least it seems so, at the same time knows how to be very tough when the moment requires it. A leader who is currently working quite well.
Ferrari SF-24: optimizing traction and responsiveness in sections with rapid succession corners
The Frenchman makes no secrets and without a mask shares his feelings about the Italian car. The step forward made during the winter is evident in specific areas. One of these is the competitiveness displayed by the Ferrari SF-24 in fast corners, with high-speed corners. The clear example was the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka International Racing Course last Sunday, if we compare the performance with last season’s car, we immediately notice a significantly improved performance. The same goes for tire management, a topic which we thoroughly analyzed in several articles lately.
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However, Frederic Vasseur warns those who believe that the situation is solved in terms of tire management. This is because although, as noted by Charles Leclerc himself, the natural qualities of the SF-24 provide very good tire management, there is still a lot of work to be done on various aspects. One, undoubtedly, concerns the optimization regarding performance in the qualifying session when it comes to “turning on” the compounds. An aspect that precisely in Japan limited the performance of the red cars in qualifying. Other weaknesses on which the Maranello team is working relate to traction, which is good but can no longer be considered a strength as in 2023.
To do this, there will be no changes to the internal components. Changing the suspension elements would mean modifying the non-linear responses and consequently varying the aero-mechanical interaction that is currently working. Rather, the work will focus on settings regarding the stiffness to be managed. In this regard, we can make a reasoning. Scuderia Ferrari has “found” a lot of grip on the front end with the SF-24. Furthermore, while Red Bull “builds” the advantage in the acceleration phase by sacrificing entry, the Italian car, on the contrary, seeks to benefit in braking.
For this reason, undoubtedly, the department responsible for the dynamics of the red car is working to maximize this compromise. When layouts will appear where mere mechanical traction will be crucial, such as Monaco, the Maranello-based team will shift the balance to the rear to increase this fundamental aspect. The last aspect on which an improvement would be important concerns changes of direction. We have indeed noticed how the solidity of the front end allows Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to enter the corner “like a cannon”. However, when the corners follow one another in rapid succession, the rear end struggles a bit to follow the front end.
This is the reason for which, as mentioned above, excluding changes to the front push-rod suspension kinematics, work is being done to increase the aero-mechanical interaction through the basic setup of the SF-24 single-seater. Furthermore, there are various measures under consideration concerning weight distribution, which, obviously, must be as close as possible to the car’s center of gravity (generally just behind the driver’s shoulders). This is an aspect in which the RB20 proves to be very compact. Ferrari wants to improve the roll center because despite some changes made to the red car in certain aspects, the settings remain very close to the 2023 Maranello single-seater.
Source: Alessandro Arcari FUnoanalisitecnica
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