Ferrari optimizes downforce and studies setup around new SF-24 specification

Scuderia Ferrari approaches the seventh round of the 2024 Formula 1 season with great confidence. The first images coming from the pit lane of the Italian circuit fully confirm the updates we observed last Friday at the Fiorano track, where the Maranello team took advantage of the filming day to test the SF-24 EVO with both main drivers. This initial test will be further validated on the track along the banks of the Santerno river, where Ferrari is determined to make a strong impact. We now have to wait and see if the Maranello team will be able to optimize the results.

Meanwhile, Red Bull remains the car to beat. The RB20 single-seater is a truly outstanding F1 car. Created by the technicians under the guidance of the genius mind of Adrian Newey, the Austrian car is also expected to present an update this weekend. This was revealed by the historic consultant from Graz, Helmut Marko, who added that the team has high expectations for this upgrade. Let’s see how it plays out. We certainly cannot forget McLaren, who hit the jackpot in the Miami Grand Prix. Lando Norris’s unexpected but well-deserved victory saw him reach the top step of the podium for the first time in Formula 1, even beating Ferrari.

For Mercedes, things are not going well. The German F1 team has fallen into a significant performance limbo, from which, despite enormous efforts, they just can’t seem to escape. The W15 single-seater suffers greatly from rear instability, preventing it from performing at its best over a stint. It is better on a single lap, though the gap to the top remains wide. Team principal Toto Wolff has announced that upgrades are coming to correct the car, with some expected here at Imola. Many tests await the multi-award-winning team in the near future.

F1: Ferrari Seeks Efficiency, Red Bull “Charges Up”

As widely anticipated, Ferrari brings to the track the same rear wing specification used since the season opener in the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, there is a small update, which we have extensively discussed, regarding the so-called wing-tips. These now feature a sharper shape along with a completely different design connecting to the main plane. Based on the images from the Imola pitlane, we can easily notice the comparison with the solution used up until the Miami Grand Prix. The different structure of the wingtip vortices should ensure lower aerodynamic losses.

Red Bull, Unlike Ferrari, Opts for High-Downforce Specification

Red Bull, in contrast to Ferrari, has decided to bring the high-downforce specification, one of the two currently at their disposal, to optimize the downforce level on each circuit based on the output from simulation software, which estimates the best vertical thrust. This specification has a significantly more pronounced main plane compared to Ferrari, giving them extra downforce. The balance Red Bull achieves with this specification is better than when they choose the other version with less downforce.

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Examining the second flap chord, all teams are quite similar. The RB20 perhaps uses a movable wing with a few more millimeters, a factor that contributes to increasing the speed delta once the Drag Reduction System is activated. As for the historic McLaren team, we note that the technicians, clad in papaya colors, currently use the medium-high downforce specification. This rear wing was already used in the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix, while the version available for Miami was medium aerodynamic downforce.

Considering that the Woking car, especially with recent updates, can rely on good aerodynamic efficiency and that sensitivity to this parameter is not very high, the MCL38 can now use a few more points of downforce. This is a very useful measure to stabilize the rear and improve corner exit. Currently, McLaren has a very competitive F1 car, with excellent stability in most types of corners.

Mercedes is currently using the highest downforce base version available to them. From the first photos taken in the pit lane, it seems they are using a specification already seen in previous races. However, we must wait for confirmations from Imola in this regard. A new rear specification is expected, likely tweaked in some areas, similar to Ferrari. The German F1 team is still searching for balance, which is why they might test different wings during the Italian weekend to optimize handling, which is currently the most important aspect.

Scuderia Ferrari therefore arrives at Imola with the 2.0 version of the SF-24 single-seater, a Formula 1 car that aims to prove a lot from now on in the 2024 Formula 1 championship. The well-known goal is to close the gap with Red Bull and be able to compete with the Austrian car every race weekend. The free practice sessions for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be crucial. The Italian team has three hours to conduct an initial validation of the updates, understand how the car behaves, choose the correct setup, and optimize the results. It’s a significant challenge, where the team in red aims to make a clear step forward.

However, the competitors are not idle. McLaren has already upgraded their car at the sixth round of the championship, where the MCL38 underwent a substantial restyling in various parts. This measure worked remarkably well, so much so that the number 4 MCL38, taking advantage of a great strategy combined with Verstappen’s problem at the back of his RB20, effortlessly took the victory after the Safety Car, marking the first career win for the young British driver.

Ferrari will have to show that the aggressive approach strongly desired by Frederic Vasseur in Formula 1 can pay off. The “shark inlet” design, copied from Red Bull, undoubtedly offers many opportunities to enhance the car’s value. Considering the regulations, this seems to be the right move. It remains to be seen how this approach will be managed technically, which is quite necessary to put pressure on the world champions, who, as the team principal of the Prancing Horse has reminded us, always push to the limit in every session. The risks increase, but so do the chances of winning every Sunday.

The Ferrari floor has undergone several changes, most of which are not visible as they develop beneath the element in question. These should include updates to the diffuser area and the initial section of the SF-24 EVO’s floor, where crucial vortex structures for downforce generation are created. From what we can observe, one of the changes appears to involve the final portion of the macro component in front of the rear wheel. The slot section has been resized, with a reduced fluid mass flow in the lower part of the car.

As was noticed based on the recent images from the Imola pitlane, the slot remains but with a more contained role. There are also some modifications to the curvature of the subsequent floor section. However, these changes need to be confirmed with further photos from the track. It is normal for this area to be modified if several parts of the underlying channels have been updated, as the engineers need to adjust the geometry to the new structure.

The rear wing has also undergone a small tweak, as we analyzed during the private test conducted at the Fiorano circuit by Scuderia Ferrari last week. The Maranello technicians therefore confirm their intention to continue using a single rear specification, which has so far always achieved a good balance on all the tracks faced in this first part of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Alongside this, the Ferrari engineers have decided to modify the so-called wing-tips to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the wing, as previously mentioned, therefore gaining a few more points of downforce with lower drag costs.

We had already seen how this small portion of the rear wing now has a more pointed rather than rounded shape. Additionally, the support for the additional flap to the main plane has been completely redesigned. The ends of the second profile have a completely different curvature, necessary to reduce drag impact. Ferrari has worked on the end vortex structure, intending to decrease their intensity and thus reduce losses as much as possible.

Ferrari SF-24 detail