Ferrari SF-24: “extra suspension” work to manage tires at Baku City Circuit | 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP. Historically, the Baku circuit has proven difficult for Ferrari to interpret.

Scuderia Ferrari intends to continue the excellent work done recently. In Formula 1, consistency of performance is essential, especially if among the desired goals is the victory of the constructors’ championship. The Prancing Horse must believe in it, and if the new floor confirms the expected step forward, the SF-24 will be able to make its mark from now on without suffering from the recent issues that have effectively blocked the competitiveness of the red car for almost 3 months. This is the hope of the Italian technicians who find themselves at yet another crossroads of the 2024 Formula 1 season: fighting for something important this year or already thinking about the 2025 championship.

In this respect, the 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit will provide interesting answers, as will the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. For now the Formula 1 Circus is arriving in Azerbaijan. The Baku City Circuit is very complex from a technical point of view. The track is divided into different sections, profoundly different from each other. Ferrari, on one hand, fears this circuit, as it requires an important compromise in terms of setup. In the first sector, there are 90° corners, where a good combination of mechanical and aerodynamic grip is needed. In the central section, speeds drop in the historical part of the city, only to rise again on the short straight leading to turns 14 and 15.

The latter is crucial, as it precedes a long high-speed section that takes the Formula 1 drivers all the way to the finish line. Therefore, a compromise in terms of stiffness must be found between different types of corners. Ferrari is currently lacking some balance, which is obviously easier to achieve on technically simpler tracks where the compromise to be studied is not as significant. The SF-24 shows a narrow operating window, and making it work in more complex situations is difficult. The presence of the long straight in the final sector makes efficiency a central aspect of the upcoming weekend for the Maranello team.

Ferrari has shown it knows how to work very well with a rather unloaded setup. On the contrary, when the installed downforce is medium, it seems to struggle much more. The new version of the updated floor based on the previous version seems to be bearing fruit, although, as mentioned, confirmations are expected here in Baku, where more traditional suspension setups will be used. Monza was a unique circuit. That’s why this weekend, Ferrari will focus on building a setup to optimize top speeds, a strategy that has proven effective on several occasions this year.

The choice to focus on maximum speed is based on a series of tactical and technical considerations: firstly, Formula 1 circuits with long straights or high-speed sectors tend to reward cars that can reach and maintain high speeds. Furthermore, a setup oriented towards top speed provides a significant advantage in overtaking, especially when the speed difference can be exploited in braking, making overtaking easier without having to push the car too much in the more technical or twisty sections of the circuit. The benefit, in turn, also shows up during defensive phases.

Ferrari has often found success with this approach, managing to maximize the strengths of the power unit 066/12 and the aerodynamic characteristics of the car, which favor low drag. The high top-speed configuration could also help offset any weaknesses in the more technical sections, where acceleration management and tire wear can become more critical. With this setup, the SF-24 hopes to find an optimal balance between top speed and stability: optimizing the opportunities provided by the race and capitalizing on the results.

A key aspect of the setup for this weekend will be tire management. This could present challenges, particularly regarding the warmup of the front tires. Historically, the Baku circuit has proven difficult for Ferrari to interpret, especially due to the challenge of quickly bringing the front tires up to temperature. This problem reflects in the grip generated by the compounds, limiting the precision of corner entry. The suspension characteristics of the SF-24 tend to put less energy into the compounds.

While this factor can help preserve the tires in the long term, it could slow down the activation process and make the car less performant in the early laps, especially in cooler conditions or in the initial stages of stints with new tires. This could be a critical point in the setup, as the lack of sufficient temperature in the front tires can lead to understeering behavior and compromise the overall balance of the car. Ferrari will therefore need to work carefully on suspension adjustments.

They will aim to find a compromise that allows enough energy to be put into the tires without compromising their durability and integrity. The goal, therefore, will be to find a setup that allows the tires to be activated efficiently, especially in the early stages of the race or immediately after a restart. All this to ensure consistent and competitive performance on a demanding circuit like Baku. The same applies to qualifying laps, where accessing maximum compound grip will make a big difference.