The last two months following Charles Leclerc’s splendid victory on the streets of Monte Carlo in the Monaco Grand Prix and before the summer break have been the most challenging period of the 2024 Formula 1 championship for Scuderia Ferrari. A year that began with high hopes for a revival after a disastrous 2023 campaign has seen the SF-24 single-seater progressively decline in performance, dropping from second to fourth place. While improvements have been made to the Maranello car, they have been smaller than those of rivals such as McLaren and Mercedes, who have made significant steps forward, as was clearly visible in the last few races.
The early updates introduced by the Ferrari technicians at the Circuit de Catalunya in the Spanish Grand Prix weekend disoriented the drivers and team members, making the technical outlook of the updated SF-24 a big disappointment. In the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari expected to make some progress, although there were no adjustments to eliminate the annoying bouncing; only the technical characteristics of the Hungarian circuit significantly benefited the Maranello team. This negative period coincided with the resignation handed in by Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, the Head of the Ferrari Aerodynamics Department and the team’s technical director. However, the two issues, namely the SF-24 developments and the personnel, are not directly connected.
In Budapest, it was crucial to achieve a mechanical setup that could place the aero-mechanical platform with the latest floor specification in the right window. Currently, the main limitation of the SF-24 seems to be its inability to generate stable downforce on the platform, making it too sensitive to direct factors, such as load peaks, and indirect ones, such as bumps that trigger the annoying bouncing. The introduction of an additional aerodynamic package aimed at finding a better load compromise is scheduled for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Ferrari is already in an advanced stage of development on this, and, above all, in Maranello, they believe that correcting the course, and thus the 2024 Formula 1 season, is still possible. This is why, as soon as they find “something significant,” they will do everything to anticipate its implementation. However, time and financial resources are the constraints that must be faced.
Carlos Sainz indicated at the end of the disappointing British round that they had identified the problems caused by the last package and understood the correct direction to take. He emphasized that they now needed time in the wind tunnel and at home to fix the aerodynamic update package and ensure it enhances performance instead of causing issues.
The Spaniard did not focus on the mechanical front, but in Maranello, an evolutionary step for Spa related to mechanics was being prepared, which, as usual, was not declared as an update on the classic FIA update list. Nothing miraculous, but simply necessary to try to resume the car’s development by focusing the upcoming aerodynamic innovations on pure performance. Future updates, in addition to being a race against time, will also have to contend with the budget cap.
Taking into consideration the updates introduced by Ferrari at the Imola track and at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, the Italian side has allocated about 50% of the resources for the current Formula 1 season, which is in line with expectations. The “misstep” of the Barcelona updates leaves no room for further errors in future development from a financial perspective, with the aim of continuing to update the SF-24 through the autumn, as explained by F1 expert Rosario Giuliana for formu1a.uno.
Enrico Cardile‘s “vacant seat” is virtually occupied by Team Principal Fred Vasseur for the time being. The French manager will lead the Ferrari team at a crucial time, also concerning the 677 project, whose chassis is now in the final stages of definition. Together with Diego Tondi, Head of Vehicle Concept and Fabio Montecchi, the Chief Project Engineer, Frederic Vasseur will have the task of coordinating the various departments in development, deciding on which areas to invest capital for the next Formula 1 season. In the wind tunnel, a “primordial” version of the 677 project uses a front pull-rod mechanics, with a change of scheme that seems now certain. The rear of the 2025 car is still under evaluation, much more costly to overturn in the terms of design due to the greater parameters and elements that need to be adjusted, such as the gearbox and differential. Due to the budget cap limitations, it is very likely that Ferrari will remain with the rear pull-rod.
Aligning, at least at the front, with the mechanical platforms of McLaren and Red Bull, which have now understood and mastered the functioning since the distant 2022 Formula 1 championship, is one of the great challenges that the Maranello technicians and engineers have evaluated for the last year of these regulations. The 2025 car, the last of this generation of regulations, could therefore be the one that mechanically differs the most from its predecessors. On the aerodynamic front, Ferrari has shown the ability to react and creative design, which are still lacking on the mechanical front. From this perspective, the arrival of Loic Serra, formerly Performance Director at Mercedes, in October will help expand visions in a department that has always relied heavily on past knowledge rather than greater aggressiveness in making key decisions and choices.
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