Ferrari SF-24: new F1 car bodywork already in wind tunnel with promising results

After a low-profile winter, the new Ferrari car has been unveiled and completed its initial 15 km, followed by the first 200 km filming day at the Fiorano circuit. As emphasized throughout the winter, the SF-24 is entirely new in terms of aeromechanics, adopting a more Red Bull-style approach, definitively departing from the concepts of the F1-75. This transformation includes a new chassis and mechanics.

The New Bodywork Shows Promising Wind Tunnel Results

Externally, the 676 project doesn’t appear “innovative.” Many components installed on the SF-24 conceptually derive from solutions seen last year, further developed by other teams. The new chassis provided the margin needed to expand the subframe and adopt the much-discussed downwash philosophy of the sidepods. There’s meticulous work on the upper edge of the sides and the car’s engine cover. Enrico Cardile mentioned in the post-presentation press conference that to make the car easier to drive, Ferrari reshaped the map, prioritizing certain aerodynamic aspects over others. Although the initial track outings won’t see significant changes to the new design, work has been done on a slightly evolved bodywork in the wind tunnel, compared to what was presented and what will remain unchanged in Bahrain. Enrico Cardile revealed that the wind tunnel car is already an evolution compared to what was presented. The team will decide when it’s best to introduce the first updates. The first step will be to see where Ferrari stand compared to its competitors.

Cautious Optimism Surrounds the New Aerodynamic Design

From the information gathered, it can be said that the new aerodynamic design has provided a “cautious optimism” to the Italian team’s technicians, marking a step forward both in terms of efficiency and local load, as previously anticipated. The real test will, of course, be the Bahrain Grand Prix and, even before that, the preseason tests. The first 200 km of the filming day were closely watched, recognizing the significance of the home track with numerous direct comparisons from the past.

The New Front Mechanics Maintains Progress from Late 2023

While the rear suspension undergoes a substantial revolution, with changes and repositioning of internal components, the front suspension isn’t undergoing a complete overhaul. Ferrari reiterated the intention not to discard previous knowledge, favoring a modus operandi that rewards past efforts. Nothing is discarded from the past, especially when dealing with cars as complex as those that need synergy among all major components. The realignment of the front suspension group, especially the upper triangle arm, now higher than the push-rod attachment, was a crucial step to achieve anti-dive kinematics. The new aerodynamic design will perform optimally only when guided by a mechanically stable platform under all conditions.

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Visually, there hasn’t been a significant redesign step for the front suspension compared to 2023. The tuning issues limited the car’s performance in the early part of the season, with incremental progress throughout the year. The focus on the front mechanics was to not “lose the path” found in the latter part of the previous year. Changing the scheme or revolutionizing the placement of the swinging arms, with an “extreme” design like that seen on the Aston Martin AMR24, was never in the plans. The new platform had to work with the know-how already possessed, especially with tires identical in structure to those in 2023.

Red Bull Inspiration Above, Less Below?

We’ve seen a revolutionized Ferrari SF-24 in the upper structure, leaving little or nothing of the old concept. The interesting part is understanding how much and where it has changed underneath and below the car, away from prying eyes. “With the new car concept, we’ve achieved the goal of unlocking new performance from the floor,” Enrico Cardile shared in his statements. The aerodynamicists’ work on the floor involves a great deal of attention to detail and the number of updates throughout a season. On the SF-23, as emphasized multiple times, the Suzuka floor update was “less visual” but “more functional” as it involved work on structure, aerodynamic stability, and the drivers’ driving feel. While the upper part pursued a clear pro-Red Bull direction, there isn’t a clear “copy and paste” approach below. The lower part of the car was the most challenging to optimize due to the bouncing, as confirmed by F1 expert Rosario Giuliana for formu1a.uno.

In the end, Ferrari need to find the balance between the performance they want to extract from the floor and the limit they need to manage to prevent bouncing. Ferrari are confident because they have developed methodologies to predict the expected bounce level, as confirmed by the technical director of the Maranello team. The lower part of the floor underwent significant changes because if you change the upper components, in some areas, you also have to change the lower ones as clarified by a technician from the Italian team. Like a domino effect, the Venturi inlets were redesigned, and it’s one of the areas where, at least for the lower part, there’s still considerable diversity among various teams and not a very obvious convergence. The outer diffuser has been revised, covering the entire area, but the most significant changes remain where the eye cannot easily perceive.