Charles Leclerc and the SF-24 were the surprises of the Monza weekend with an amazing victory in the Italian Grand Prix. The historic Maranello team brought a series of aerodynamic updates to the track that were intended to remedy the now well-known half-disaster caused by the introduction of the new floor at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Now, even though we know that the Temple of Speed is not the most suitable place to test new specifications due to the track’s characteristics, the fact that the upgrades performed well and received positive feedback from the drivers gives some hope to the Ferrari fans.
The Monza upgrade
What did the upgrade consist of? As shown in the summary published by the FIA, the Maranello team, in addition to introducing wings specifically designed for Monza (which we do not consider here), repositioned the camera cars on the nose (point 2), reduced the housing of the rearview mirrors (point 3), redistributed the profiles and camber (peripheral part of the floor, point 4), expanded the ‘boat’ and tunnel (central part of the floor, point 5), reshaped the edge of the floor and introduced a cutout in the plan view (point 6), redesigned the keel and expansion diffuser (point 7), and finally, created a deeper undercut (engine cover, point 8).
As we can see, most of the changes concerned the floor, and until we race on circuits characterized by a strong presence of fast corners, it cannot be said with absolute certainty whether these modifications work or not.
The circuits where Ferrari can still be a contender
From the feedback from Monza, we can say that things shouldn’t go badly in Baku (Round 17) either. It is difficult to say whether Ferrari will still be in the fight for victory, but since Charles Leclerc has triumphed on tracks with similar characteristics (Monza and Monaco), we can think that Ferrari will be among the contenders. Consequently, we can also expect another good weekend in Singapore (Round 18). Last year, it was the only race lost by Red Bull and the only one won by Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz.
After that, Ferrari will face a real test on the fast corners of Austin (Round 19) and the track in Mexico (Round 20). Although the Autodromo named after the Rodriguez brothers seems very similar to the Italian one, due to the high altitude at which it is located, the teams are forced to use technical specifications that generate high aerodynamic downforce. For this reason, we consider it a GP where the performance of the SF-24 will be uncertain, at least for the moment. We can add the Brazilian GP (Round 21) to this list, which has not been very favorable to Ferrari in recent years (in 2023, Carlos Sainz finished sixth, with Charles Leclerc retiring).
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At the end of November, Las Vegas (Round 22) will arrive, a track with alternating slow and very fast sections. This could be another event favorable to Ferrari. However, to be at the top on the last two circuits of the season, Qatar (Round 23) and Abu Dhabi (Round 24), you would need to have a car that performs well everywhere: slow corners, fast corners, and straights. As of now, it is difficult to predict this for the SF-24.
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