Ferrari SF-24: strategy to optimize S1, but bouncing is excessive in S2 at Spa

It was known that the 14th round of the Formula 1 championship would be very complicated for Ferrari. Despite the issues, we can still argue that the Maranello team is doing a good job in limiting losses and maximizing all opportunities. The gap to Verstappen remains significant. The Prancing Horse decided to adopt a very low-downforce aerodynamic setup, mounting the new lower-downforce rear wing and balancing the car with an updated front wing in the last flap. Low downforce to limit drag, a weak point compared to Red Bull and McLaren.

The goal was to optimize the high-speed sections while containing losses in the central sector. In the first sector, Ferrari manages to do well also thanks to the Engine 1 mapping used from turn 1 to turn 5. On Friday, the SF-24 gained about a tenth, but we will see today if they maintain the advantage when everyone increases power. The second sector is particularly limiting. The red cars lose a lot in terms of minimum speed at the center of the corner. The balance in this context seems good. There are no significant snaps, just a certain chronic instability at the rear. Bouncing is most evident in turns 10 and 11.

Scraping the track surface with the floor creates instability that limits the car’s potential. An update introduced in Hungary was supposed to improve flow stability along the diffuser. The solution should be mounted on the car, but it does not seem to limit the bouncing at all. Additionally, understeer has been observed in some medium-speed corners, also due to a relatively green track with new asphalt. This combination has led to graining. At the moment, Ferrari has not yet found enough speed in the third sector.

On Saturday, the Maranello technicians will need to figure out how to extract more performance in this area, where high speeds are reached, to take advantage of the chosen setup. Crossing the telemetry and onboard data shows the ineffectiveness of the SF-24 in turn 15. It loses two tenths from here on, marching down the long straight that leads to the bus-stop chicane. At the exit of the last corner, the gap increases further due to imperfect traction. To make the floor work well by stabilizing it, the suspension components have been stiffened, which limits the acceleration phases because mechanical grip is lower.

McLaren has done exactly the opposite of Ferrari, building a contrary setup. Although the Woking team used a new rear wing that reduces induced drag, this aspect did not negatively affect high-speed cornering. The setup allows them to increase the efficiency of the aerodynamic components without losing top speed. Currently, the two MCL38 cars gain compared to Red Bull on the straights, while in several corners they have tried to sacrifice the entry completely to favor traction.

This happens at turn 1, at the hairpin of 8, and also between corners 12 and 13. Some loading points help to put down the power in medium-speed corners. This type of corner damaged the RB20 on Friday. Max Verstappen once again complained about particularly harmful understeer in turns 6, 7, and 9. In this area, Ferrari manages to be even more effective. However, Red Bull makes the difference in the subsequent corners. Between the exit of 9 and the entrance to 12, in fact, the SF-24 loses two tenths. While at Pouhon, the RB20 gains even on McLaren because it carries a lot of speed at the apex.

Overall, McLaren has once again built a setup with the best compromise. The British team has found a way to adopt a moderately low-downforce setup, but manages to find points to gain in the central sector, where Red Bull should dominate. In the first free practice, the RB20 tried to remedy this lack of rotation in medium-speed corners. They did this through adjustments to the front wing incidence. However, these measures did not change things.

From the micro sectors, we can confirm some aspects just commented on. First of all, we notice that on the main straight, the top speeds are contested between Ferrari and McLaren. The cornering of turn 1 is then dominated by Charles Leclerc, who had already found a correct line from the first practice. On the downhill straight leading to Eau Rouge, McLaren makes the difference, but on the Kemmel straight, the SF-24 dominates with a top speed of 340 kilometers per hour. The Italian car surprisingly performs very well in the chicane of turns 5 and 6.

At this precise point on the track, both McLaren and Red Bull need to work to be more effective. For this reason, we do not rule out that Ferrari could lose its lead in this area of the Belgian track. Even between turns 8 and 9, the red car manages to shave off a few more fractions of a second. However, corners 10 and 11 are RB20 territory, where Max Verstappen dominates unchallenged. The following chicane is McLaren territory, where they manage to maintain a lot of speed in the direction change. This is the main reason for their strength in this section.

Ferrari still needs to understand how to improve corner 15, the point from which they start to lose too much compared to McLaren and Red Bull. A possible cause could be bouncing, also because they exit turn 14 well in traction. Scraping the track surface could limit speeds in that section, then carrying the disadvantage through the mentioned stretch. A similar situation occurs at the chicane before the finish line, where they lose a tenth from the exit of the last corner to the finish line.