Ferrari fixes balance and stability of SF-24 in Barcelona | 2024 F1 Spanish GP FP3 analysis. Ferrari fixes balance and stability of SF-24 in Barcelona FP3.

Scuderia Ferrari is set to verify the work done on the simulator. In Formula 1, this practice is crucial throughout the race weekend, as it can radically change the performance profile of a competitive context. For this reason, the men of the Prancing Horse have put in extra effort to unlock the potential of the Italian car. The SF-24 has been updated with changes to the floor, sidepods, and rear wing. These measures aim to provide more downforce, especially at the rear, while simultaneously reducing drag. These elements were already glimpsed yesterday, on the first day of track action at the 4.657-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Another interesting topic concerns tire management. Pirelli tires must be properly managed through the correct warm-up procedure. Activating and especially maintaining operating temperatures, considering the layout of the Spanish circuit, make this operation very critical. The long corners in the first sector put a high amount of energy into the tire carcass, raising temperatures. Overheating in in the final sector means losing the necessary grip for performance.

This is why all Formula 1 teams have struggled with this aspect since reaching the third sector with the right working range requires limiting performance in the first sector. It’s certainly not an easy task for the drivers, who must be skillful to get the maximum. This is why the warm-up strategy is crucial. Yesterday, Ferrari was not perfect in this fundamental aspect. Today, they hope to be, or at least to manage this aspect more efficiently. Otherwise, we are curious to see if the setup changes chosen through the driver-in-the-loop simulator data will be effective.

Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the Ferrari drivers in the final free practice session for the 2024 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.

The moment of truth approaches. Ferrari is about to hit the track to see if the setup changes will be effective. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz seem very focused in the garage, exchanging last words with their race engineers. The sun shines high over Catalonia, where the weather conditions are optimal. Let’s look at the temperatures before the start: 27.4°C air temperature, 41.3°C track temperature. Humidity at 55%, wind intensity at 0.5 kilometers per hour from the west.

The Ferrari drivers are waiting for the signal to leave the pit lane. Engines on, visors down, and off they go. For this first stint of the third free practice session, both cars are on a set of red-marked tires. Brakes are used heavily to activate the tires, while the gearbox is set to GX3 mode, the usual one. Overall, the balance doesn’t seem bad. Charles Leclerc makes a small mistake, running wide at Turn 10, combined with an indecision at Turn 7. The Monegasque driver tends to brake very late. They proceed now with a double cool-down lap, passing through the pit lane, while Carlos Sainz comes into the pits.

Bryan Bozzi speaks specifically about the braking phase and suggests braking earlier in turns 1 and 10. Charles Leclerc will use the pre-mapped knob with the brake system configurations for the final sector. If he experiences understeer in the second sector, turn 5, he can activate the toggle to manage the rotation. Charles Leclerc goes out again and this time makes a good attempt, which his race engineer confirms, congratulating him. “Good job on the car” says Charles Leclerc over the team radio, breathing a sigh of relief as the setup change seems to be working as expected by the Maranello team.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz also returns to the track for a quick run, confirming the progress made in setting up the Italian car. This is indeed good news for the historic Italian F1 team. Today, Ferrari is showing what we have consistently observed throughout the season: hitting the track with a well-balanced car. Carlos Sainz, like his Maranello teammate, returns to the pits and observes his performance through telemetry. Shortly after, it’s back to the track again, with Charles Leclerc still on the red tires. His race engineer Bryan Bozzi suggests a slow intro to avoid putting too much energy into the tires.

Now they switch to ERS mode 1 to test the hybrid part. Optimally spreading the extra 160 horsepower provided by the two motor generators is crucial. Ferrari decided to use a good portion for traction and the rest to support top speeds. Considering that yesterday Charles Leclerc stayed in the pits on the stands for various adjustments, he immediately goes out for a quick high-fuel test. Five laps with a high fuel load onboard to test the performance of his SF-24. Very good handling, free from corrections. Clear tire management is observed in several corners: 3, 9, and 13.

Bryan Bozzi is satisfied but suggests being careful in turn 5 to avoid micro-locks that can contribute to degradation. Carlos Sainz, also on the track, starts his plan with a lot of fuel onboard. The Spaniard confirms what was said about the other Ferrari driver, as the cars show a significantly different attitude. If we really want to nitpick, we can say there is still some oversteer in turns 3 and 12, characteristics we have always seen with this excessive rotation. The most important news is the regained balance, which allows for greater stability in cornering phases.

After the high-fuel tests, they return to the garage. Both drivers are very satisfied. Fixing things was not a given, especially trying to validate the update package with the new parts. The revised SF-24 did not have much feedback available. In the last part of the qualifying session, they return to testing the cars with low fuel. The intention is to take full advantage of the track improvement. They go back on track with brand new Soft tires to maximize performance and see what happens.

Carlos Sainz is the first to go out. The Spaniard puts together a very good performance. Only a small mistake in turn 1 where he could undoubtedly have done better on the entry trajectory. Regarding Charles Leclerc, we must note another mistake in turn 10 where he runs a bit wide. It’s a shame because the first and second sectors were record times and he could have been ahead of everyone. Nevertheless, he is only 37 milliseconds behind his teammate, first in the timesheet. After the last pit stop, they leave the pit lane again for the final attempt with scrubbed tires, but this doesn’t change the situation.

Source: FUnoanalisitecnica