Scuderia Ferrari’s promising start to the 2024 Formula 1 season was marred by the development of the SF-24, which was far from perfect. After introducing a significant aerodynamic upgrade package at Imola, which allowed the SF-24 to take a step forward, the updates brought to the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, on which the Maranello team placed great hopes to catch McLaren and Red Bull, who still held a significant advantage, did not deliver as expected. However, from Spain onwards, the negative phase of this 2024 F1 season began for Frédéric Vasseur’s team, compounded by a double zero points finish in the Canadian Grand Prix, which heavily penalized Ferrari. These complex cars, however, offer significant gains when fully understood, and this is precisely what allowed the Maranello team to overturn its situation, reaching the end of the season with a chance to still compete for the Constructors’ Championship with McLaren.
The first step occurred before the summer break.
The development package introduced at Barcelona caused the SF-24 to take a step back due to the return of bouncing in high-speed corners and significantly worsened drivability compared to the 2.0 version introduced at Imola. It is now widely known that bouncing is detrimental to performance as it affects tire management but, above all, undermines the drivers’ confidence. Frédéric Vasseur’s team had to make the difficult decision to sacrifice practically three race weekends in order to understand the nature of the issues, which were clearly tied once again to the usual track-factory correlation, and to work on solutions. At first, the Ferrari technicians and engineers struggled to accept their problems, but eventually had to take a step back to progress, as the French Team Principal recently admitted. Thus began an intense development program at Maranello, with the first novelty being the introduction of a test floor at the Hungaroring circuit in Hungary, which Frederic Vasseur called “evolved.” This was developed solely through Computational Fluid Dynamics, without using wind tunnel hours.
This solution proved useful for Ferrari to understand whether the path taken to address the flaws of the aerodynamic Barcelona package was the right one, saving money and development time at the factory. Once it was clear that the changes made were a first step in the right direction, work began on a development package originally planned for the United States Grand Prix at the Austin circuit. The team, led by Diego Tondi and Frédéric Vasseur following the departure of Italian aerodynamicist and former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile, focused on an entirely new floor that was supposed to restore stability to the SF-24 and provide a more stable aerodynamic platform. While wind tunnel work continued at Maranello, another important intervention was made on the SF-24 that we now see on the track and which we had anticipated before the summer break. Indeed, at the Belgian GP, new anti-roll bars were introduced on the rear suspension of the Italian car. Although no immediate advantages were apparent, this innovation somewhat flew under the radar as improvements to the SF-24 became evident, particularly during the Dutch Grand Prix, where the car outperformed with significant and unexpected tire management.
Not only the new floor and front wing, but also the study on carbon fiber flexibility was crucial.
It is clear that from the Italian Grand Prix onwards, there has been a more evident turning point. By accelerating the development of the SF-24 single-seater, the Maranello team managed to bring the “Austin package” to Monza, an all-in technical effort that included a completely redesigned floor, modified sidepods, and the customary low-downforce package for the ultra-fast Monza circuit. This immediately restored stability to the SF-24, increasing the downforce generated by the entire car body, returning to the performance levels seen in Barcelona, and expanding the setup window. However, the developments did not stop there. In Singapore, new Ferrari head of aerodynamics Diego Tondi approved the first version of a newly conceived front wing, initially scheduled for introduction at the following race, as explained by F1 expert Paolo D’Alessandro for formu1a.uno.
Frédéric Vasseur has repeatedly emphasized that not all developments are officially disclosed. In the FIA document, only aerodynamic changes that involve modifications to the shapes of specific elements are listed, the French engineer confirmed a few weeks ago. The implication is that there may be modifications that teams are not required to declare, particularly mechanical ones, such as those brought to the track by Ferrari in Spa or updates to the Power Unit. The latter includes the only software update allowed by the FIA, which the Italian team introduced at the Monza circuit.
But there is more. Following extended controversies with Red Bull and discussions with the FIA regarding the flexibility of McLaren and Mercedes’ front wings, Ferrari also adapted and began focusing more on the flexibility of this element, opting for a specific development path. At the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore, the Italian side decided to first study the aerodynamic philosophy of the new wing. Then, in a move that was not particularly cost-effective under budget cap constraints, they brought a more extreme version to Austin. This version incorporated material concepts that will also characterize the front wing seen on next year’s car. Effectively, in two events, Ferrari introduced two visually identical front wings that were fundamentally different, aligning with Fred Vasseur’s comments on “invisible” updates.
In conclusion, after the mistakes made with the “Spain aerodynamic package,” Ferrari spent significant resources and time to put a competitive SF-24 back on track. However, those errors were understood, and now the Italian car can contend for important milestones, including the Constructors’ Championship, something that was unimaginable during the late spring and early summer months. Not all issues have been resolved, however. Work on the chassis and mechanical aspects will be necessary, a focus already set for the 2025 Formula 1 project. In the meantime, after weeks of crisis, Frédéric Vasseur’s team has recovered and is back in contention, aiming for the Constructors’ title. With three races remaining, Ferrari trails McLaren by just 36 points, with 140 points still up for grabs and high expectations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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