Ferrari, Project 676: ‘stronger’ front end for 2024 F1 car in line with competitors’ design. The "mediocrity" of the Ferrari SF-23 derived only to a lesser extent from aerodynamics.

Ferrari is nurturing Project 676, a significantly different approach from the SF-23 that, with confidence at its side, aims for a quick comeback. The car will be unveiled to the world on February 13, anticipating the day dedicated to lovers. It will be a “quiet” unveiling, where the spectacle will be absent. Head down, no complaints, and maximum focus on the agnostic 2024 campaign, a year in which the Prancing Horse is determined to achieve a significant performance step.

Without further ado, let’s delve into the heart of the matter through a thought. Often forgotten, in Formula 1, one of the most important elements of a car is the front wing. It can be defined as fundamental since it is the first part of the car that interacts with the fluid stream that influences the entire path of particles up to the rear of the car.

Putting aside the first two years witnessing another regulatory revolution, the one that placed Venturi-effect wing cars at the center, we can analyze the different “macroscopic” concepts of the front area of the car. We use the term macroscopic because, although the wings often look quite similar, the actual structure of the fluid at the exit of the front wing is unique for each car.

From this perspective, as usual, Red Bull has set the standard. The Milton Keynes team embarked on a path early on that was later proven correct. We recently analyzed some statements by Adrian Newey regarding the RB19. Although we have discussed it before, today we provide further clarity on the importance of the front aerodynamics, often overlooked due to the complexity of generating rear-end downforce. Below are the words of the genius car designer from Stratford–Upon–Avon, once again imparting technical wisdom.

It’s about managing the wake of the front wheel, a determining factor in this F1. As teams become more familiar with the cars born from these regulations, the vertical force produced has significantly increased. In these cases, it means that greater aerodynamic load on the front is required. Automatically, engineers must make greater efforts to manage the front wing most efficiently, to use it to the best of its capabilities and leverage its maximum advantage.

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As is right in the top tier of motorsport, through the usual “in-season” developments, most of the gained downforce is focused on the rear of the car, the area with the greatest potential for improvement. For this simple reason, the gained vertical force on the rear axle must be properly balanced with additional front load. The front wings of the two cars in question have significantly different guidelines. This is noticeable from the configuration of the four flaps allowed by the regulations.

Firstly, a fact: the philosophy of the nose between the SF-23 and RB19 was similar. At Ferrari, between 2022 and 2023, they moved the attachment point of the nose tip from the first to the second flap, which are obviously the ones with a larger chord, a characteristic of many cars. In terms of measurements, the first flap, also known as the “main plane,” has a similar span along the “span,” the width of the wing profile. The second flap also shows a similar configuration, but on the Austrian car, the chord is greater by a few millimeters, especially towards the ends.

The last two flaps, which have an adjustment function, are significantly different between the two specifications, as the philosophy of the red one involves a greater drop, showing a setup such that they have a high difference in height in their attachment to the nose and endplate. The additional profiles of the Red Bull have a less pronounced drop, and the lowering towards the endplate is therefore much more gradual.

This limits the aerodynamic blockage given by the wing for flows directed towards the bottom of the car. The idea of Ferrari’s technicians was to increase outwash as much as possible, generating a strong difference in local static pressure between the inner and outer regions of the profile. However, the more inner portion presented a larger horizontal region to generate load and try to balance a car with a very weak front end.

Undoubtedly, the “mediocrity” of the front end of the SF-23 derived only to a lesser extent from aerodynamics, becoming more a way to balance the overall setup. In Project 676, this area has been revised in various aspects, considering that the front will regain that missing grip during the season. The goal is to reduce the frontal obstruction given by the wing to favor the flow towards the central area of the car.

The generation of outwash is therefore entrusted to the endplate, which has indeed undergone development in Austria. Already halfway through the last season, Ferrari approached the dictates of the Red Bull RB19, profoundly changing the geometry of the endplate. The curvature was completely varied, with the trailing edge showing an outward splay. While the previous version, radically different, had a clear curvature inwards.

The profile had a lower camber, and the lower portion of the trailing edge had some inwash. The appendix anchored to the endplate also changed geometry to vary the pressure field on the outer wall of the element and, consequently, generate a more powerful vortex that could increase the outwash effect. Even the rotation direction of the vortex that detached from the element changed, as in the previous version, there was overpressure on the inner wall, the opposite of the new specification.

For this simple reason, we can imagine that in the latest aeromechanical engineering work from Ferrari in 2024, the main plain of the specification at the front will not be so different because it has already been the subject of many reevaluations in the last year. While for the third and fourth flaps, we will surely see a significant update. It is a measure that will align the philosophy of the Italian car with the current trend, with a sweeter drop and a front wing trailing edge with less discontinuity.

Source: Niccoló Arnerich and Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica