Ferrari: correlation in wind tunnel restores SF-24 competitiveness. Ferrari's wind tunnel is back in action after a significant update.

Scuderia Ferrari’s wind tunnel is back in action after a significant update was scheduled during the summer break, featuring a new moving floor capable of improving the aerodynamic map with a greater yaw angle of the model, and the adoption of more advanced software that can provide more precise information in the search for correlation between the simulation world and the track.

While McLaren and Aston Martin have completely rebuilt their wind tunnels and Red Bull is working on a new facility in Milton Keynes (also hosting Racing Bulls), the Italian side, with a still cutting-edge tool, has only revised the system designed by architect Renzo Piano.

Jock Clear, head of Ferrari engineering, explained during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend how the Maranello team overcame the difficulties that emerged in the summer with the development of the SF-24 single-seater, which had been affected by the reappearance of bouncing with the aerodynamic update introduced in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The Ferrari aerodynamics team led by Diego Tondi had found a slight increase in aerodynamic load, but the greater availability of downforce had led to the re-emergence of bouncing in the faster corners of the Barcelona circuit, causing the drivers to lose confidence due to the car’s variable behavior from lap to lap.

Ferrari was therefore forced to take a step back in the Austrian Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix, presenting a revised floor for the SF-24 car at the Hungaroring circuit before the summer break, while waiting for a more definitive solution to arrive in Monza. Several teams, with the exception of McLaren, regressed in their developments, slowing down the evolution of their cars compared to the plans that had been laid out.

Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix and finished second at the Baku city circuit behind Oscar Piastri with the MCL38 after securing pole position, while the outcome in Singapore was very negative due to repeated errors from both the teams and drivers in the qualifying session on Saturday, despite the fact that the SF-24 car had shown potential to be perhaps the only challenger to McLaren and Lando Norris.

In a small meeting with the media, Jock Clear explained that the Ferrari technicians had to halt developments in order to identify the anomaly in the correlation between wind tunnel data and track performance.

Jock Clear explained that one was never completely sure about the updates they brought, but the feeling was that the most frequent question, even in other teams, was whether they had lost their way. The British engineer noted that certainly after Spain, they did not think they had lost their way, but it had emerged that there was some anomaly between what they saw in the tunnel and the data they read on the track, which meant they needed to understand what was happening.

Ferrari has therefore revised its development process. Jock Clear stated that they discovered an anomaly, analyzed it, and tried to understand it to get back on track. He mentioned that this was what they had done, and as a result, they were back on the right path. The Ferrari head of engineering emphasized the need to keep their eyes wide open to avoid another possible anomaly, noting that sometimes developments do not work and that the growth process involves trying something new each week. He expressed confidence that their growth process was effective and believed they were at the top in every aspect, but acknowledged they would also wait for the next potential setback.

Ground-effect cars are very sensitive to ride height: the closer the floor is to the ground, the more aerodynamic load can be generated. However, the car on track is subjected to surfaces with roughness and bumps that modify its behavior, leading to sudden losses of downforce in various dynamic conditions.

Jock Clear explained that small variations in height could cause sudden losses of load, making the car difficult to control due to its unpredictable reactions, which in turn diminishes the drivers’ confidence. He noted that in the tunnel, the floor is flat, but when the car goes over a curb, the bouncing that occurs is something that cannot be observed in the wind tunnel. He acknowledged that while they could make the car bounce on the mat, the data obtained was not consistent with what happens on the track. The British engineer concluded that it was impossible to achieve a 100% correlation and that full data fidelity does not exist. Additionally, the head of engineering at Ferrari mentioned that with ground effect, it is necessary to limit load losses, as just five millimeters in height could result in either a total loss of downforce or the generation of maximum load. He stated that it is within this narrow range that the competition is contested.