Ferrari and project 676 from which the SF-24 single-seater was born: the Italian side’s 2024 Formula 1 car, deemed conventional by several F1 experts and analysts just because it did not show extravagant shapes and concept immediately after the official presentation, ultimately is the first of the Red Bull pursuers. In this regard, the goal of the Maranello team has been achieved. Yes, because no one in Formula 1 expected to beat the RB20 at the beginning of the season. The target was clear: to make a competitive step forward and lay the technical groundwork for developing the car during the championship, hoping to reduce the gap even more.
For this reason, the chassis and the impact structure of the single-seater underwent a reshaping process, necessary to overcome the limits suffered during the 2023 racing campaign.
We are talking about aspects that effectively prevented the Italian engineers and others from merely updating the car’s factual status. This is because the most profitable philosophy was not achievable with the technical limitations and the foundations of the SF-23 single-seater. As a result the front-end has been strengthened. But perhaps too much? Difficult to say. In fact, in these first rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign, we have observed a red car heavily focused on the front end with an excess of mid-corner rotation that can be controlled through setup to avoid a too oversteering behaviour that actually limits the maximum performance achievable if not properly managed by the Ferrari team.
Consequently, corner entry has become a strong point of the single-seater, as we extensively analyzed in the previous articles through the use of telemetry. Furthermore, we know that several tweaks have been made to the suspension systems. We know that the front suspension has effectively moved closer to the Red Bull concepts, although the men in red working in the vehicle dynamics department have chosen to keep the push-rod scheme with a similar philosophy concerning roll centers and camber recovery.
The goal was to find a compromise, certainly not simple to do, considering the various kinematic parameters acting on the front of the SF-24 car. Even at the rear, the setup has not changed, proposing again the “traction work” put together by the pull-rod configuration. Therefore, the activation of various elements such as anti-roll bars and torsion bars has remained unchanged. This despite the fact that Ferrari has carried out precise work on downsizing the internal components. Those hidden under the bodywork, to clarify.
Ferrari SF-24: the solid technical base of the red car for 2024
For a top-category motorsport car, one of the most important prerogatives concerns the technicians’ ability to balance the car at an aero-mechanical level, to achieve coherence between the front and rear axles. This is nothing new. And it is precisely on this point that the Maranello team worked hard over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend at the Jeddah circuit. The choice to load the car more at the rear, for example, turned out to be quite factual.
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This although at first, after the second free practice session, the Maranello team had evaluated the hypothesis of unloading the rear to align with the rest of the cars in terms of downforce generated. From the numerous analyses carried out during last weekend, we can reiterate with some certainty a fact already anticipated in the usual post-race performance review: adopting a setup with reduced vertical thrust would not have allowed for greater performance.
In the final stages of the qualifying session, in fact, the maximum performance was achieved by securing the first row behind Max Verstappen. During the race, lower downforce could generate micro-slippages at the rear that potentially could lead to a different tire management, raising the pace of the red car. Keeping this consideration in mind, some speculate on a certain weakness at the rear of the car, needing load to stabilize the aerodynamic platform.
Moreover, among the possible causes, a rear suspension incapable of providing the correct energy on the tires at the beginning of the stint is mentioned, having to “spend” several laps to bring the tires up to temperature, which only then start to perform as required. This possibility cannot be dismissed as nonsense; on the contrary, the conjecture makes sense. However, there are other factors that might contribute to this situation. As far as we are concerned, we are more inclined to think about the choice regarding the setup.
A targeted setup strongly desired by Charles Leclerc, the only point of reference on the setup considering Carlos Sainz’s absence, designed to maximize the Monegasque’s driving style. Rather than talking about a lack of grip at the rear, therefore, we think that the Maranello team has set up the lap, both push and race, in a certain way. The SF-24 has chosen to gain on entry knowing that it would have to deal with a slight disadvantage on exit.
This aspect was later nullified thanks to the power of the internal combustion engine supported by the quality of the hybrid system that allowed a SF-24 red car to achieve very respectable top speeds despite the downforce configuration. At the International Bahrain Circuit, for example, in the traction phase of turn 8, the red car was on par with Red Bull at the top in the acceleration phase. We prefer to talk about a package (suspension, aerodynamics, and setup) that still makes it difficult, during the race with a high amount of fuel on board, to hit the perfect operational window of the SF-24 for as long as the Red Bull.
This is because the Milton Keynes team enjoys a superior understanding of the car and manages to make the RB20 work better for a longer period during the race. Therefore, we do not believe it is correct to talk about a “certain weakness at the rear” because, in the corners with support, Ferrari could really be very strong, as highlighted with emphasis by Andrea Stella’s recent analysis on the Ferrari car.
Ferrari, project 676: the technical aspects of the first SF-24 evolutionary step
Considering only two championship rounds have taken place, it is somewhat premature to blame the rear of the Italian car, keeping in mind that, at this moment in the championship, knowledge about the distinctive traits of the single-seater is certainly not at its maximum. On the contrary, the learning phase is currently ongoing, necessary to understand how to maximize performance through fine-tuning. Finally, a reflection regarding the near future. Just yesterday, we talked about the important package of updates planned for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
An important update that will see some changes in the floor area as well as in the central and upper body area. The wings should also not be exempt from tweaks, all to further refine the management of flows. At the mechanical level, some changes related to internal components should arrive. The goal is clear: to enhance the car’s performance to access a higher level of competitiveness as expected, keeping in mind that project 676 was born with a base designed for factual updates that could already enhance performance in the first part of the 2024 Formula 1 championship.
For this reason, protagonists like Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur have mentioned the upcoming developments with full awareness, convinced that the expected qualitative leap, supported by the rediscovered simulator-track correlation, can make a significant difference. We end with a cliché, emphasizing once again an immutable aspect in Formula 1: only future timekeeping results will be able to judge the value of the updates and will truly determine if the SF-24 car will be able to put some more pressure on the RB20. A single-seater that despite the internal fight within the Red Bull team continues to dominate the scene with Max Verstappen.
Source: Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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