With the SF-24, Ferrari completed the best long run of the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing session at the 5.412 km Bahrain International Circuit located in Sakhir, Bahrain. Carlos Sainz simulated an entire race using medium tires (the soft ones for next week) and two sets of hard tires. In the three stints, the Spanish driver tried to resolve the doubt that fans and engineers had until now: tire degradation. Carlos showed a significant leap forward with Project 676, with a car that consistently maintained a more or less constant race pace.
The increase in lap times occurred gradually and mainly due to wear. The excellent work carried out by the vehicle dynamics engineers, assisted by aerodynamicists, seems to be yielding results. The rear aero-mechanical axis of the new red car manages to generate an aerodynamic load and grip level that prevents sliding during cornering and traction. This issue generated the burdensome overheating, the main source of performance decline for the SF-23 single-seater.
On Thursday morning, Charles Leclerc also performed a high fuel test, demonstrating that the car handles technical degradation well, even with higher temperatures. Charles showed signs of performance decline after 16 laps on medium tires, excluding the fuel quantity, which is unknown.
The graph we present compares the average time in a race pace simulation, along with a section representing the temporal trend of lap time. The image examines stints carried out in the afternoon/evening of the second day of Bahrain testing. Laps completed with yellow C3 tires were compared with white C1 or C2 tires, three compounds that we will see in the race next week.
Analyzing the data reveals immediately what was predicted. Carlos Sainz, while not having the best average pace, demonstrates superior consistency compared to direct competitors on the grid. Furthermore, the fact that the Spaniard completed 57 laps without refueling can lead to interesting considerations.
Race Pace Analysis, Medium Tires – F1 Bahrain Test Day 2. Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
Carlos gained an average of 1.3 seconds on Sergio Perez, and both, having covered more than 300 km without refueling their cars, did not go far from the times we might see in the first race of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
However, being just tests, consistency is the best indicator of a car’s potential, and the Spaniard concluded his second race stint, losing less than a second in pace after 17 laps. The direct competitors, on the other hand, showed greater degradation: Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton, and Daniel Ricciardo suffered an average wear varying between one and two tenths per lap.
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Ferrari SF-24/High Fuel Hard Tire: SF-24 More Powerful Mapping, Limited Degradation for Red Bull and Racing Bulls
Shifting focus to the high fuel stint with Hard tires, things don’t change much. Carlos Sainz put together lap times 1.7 seconds faster than Sergio Perez, probably taking advantage of an engine map capable of providing more power. Furthermore, in this case, car number 55 underwent extremely limited degradation, with a decline of about 1.2 seconds in 18 laps.
The two Red Bull teams managed wear better with a harder compound. Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez, in fact, maintained mostly regular and less significant degradation compared to what was analyzed earlier with the yellow-banded Pirelli tires.
Race Pace Analysis, Hard Tires – F1 Bahrain Test Day 2. Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
A more challenging stint for Mercedes and McLaren regarding the hard compound. Lando Norris aboard the MCL38 and Lewis Hamilton with the W15 encountered some additional issues with the hard tire. The seven-time world champion confirmed a certain lack of feeling with the car, noted already in the morning.
Ferrari SF-24, comparison with 2023 Bahrain GP: Ferrari improved by 1.2 seconds with medium tire
Finally, for illustrative purposes, we have included a graph related to the middle stint of last season’s Bahrain Grand Prix to further clarify the values in play, even considering the testing sessions. Ferrari, under conditions similar to last year’s fuel, ran about 1.2 seconds faster with medium tires (excluding ambient conditions).
Tire degradation: comparison with Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 edition. Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
This evolutionary step granted by the technicians from the Maranello team is evident through the composure of the car throughout the run. From the onboard, the car responded very well to the driver’s inputs, with always precise behavior during corner entry without understeer and a well-balanced exit from the corners that did not require corrections.
Source: Alessandro Arcari and Leonardo Pasqual for FUnoanalisitecnica
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