Ferrari, SF-24 suspension: roll center brought closer to mid-plane amid challenging compromise

Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull: three top teams set to compete for top positions during the 2024 Formula 1 racing campaign. That is the hope, of course, because if the gap with the Milton Keynes team remains as large as last season, everything will once again become tremendously dull. Setting aside our wishes and hopes, it will take several weeks to know the truth.

The factors to examine regarding these new cars are always many, and often, some details become apparent only later on. Let’s briefly discuss the Red Bull RB20 which, even before the official car presentation, had already taken advantage of the shakedown granted by the FIA, hitting the Silverstone track. An opportunity to take a first look at the car designed once again by the brilliant mind of Adrian Newey. Notably, a single-seater equipped with an extreme tray placed in front of the sidepod in clear contrast to all competitors, useful for increasing outwash through the undercut.

Ferrari, SF-24 push-rod: Closer to the RB19 concept, but characteristic centers remain similar towards a challenging compromise
Let’s analyze two types of suspensions with a very similar underlying concept: SF-24 vs W15. The application between the two cars differs significantly, and consequently, so does the mere kinematics. This results in a profoundly different dynamic behavior that effectively defines tire management and, at the same time, the stability of the aerodynamic platform.

Both cars follow a trend “imposed” by Red Bull, namely a relatively high upper arm in the attachment to the chassis, necessary to achieve a good level of anti-dive and less drag. The greater height spacing between the lower and upper triangles is a characteristic of this type of kinematics. But after two seasons, something has finally changed in Maranello.

The suspension layout of the Ferrari car abandons the old kinematics and begins to pursue some concepts proposed by the world champion team. This is noteworthy, even with significant differences. Examining the red car, we notice that the spacing between the two triangles of the SF-24 is smaller compared to the W15, a car that adopts a scheme closer to Red Bull (the 2023 car, but we take it as a reference).

The more contained vertical distance between the two wishbones provides lower structural rigidity. A technical characteristic that forces the engineers to thicken the suspension links. We are talking about a prerogative that unfortunately entails greater aerodynamic penetration. This is a legacy that the Prancing Horse has carried since the 2022 season when, on the still very good F1-75, the triangles were very close.

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The second and most important difference concerns the orientation of the triangles in space. From the photos of the presentations, we draw an indication of the front quadrilateral of the cars in question, creating a clear kinematic comparison. Without a doubt, we remember that the comparison must be made with all the ifs and buts, as the perspectives we have at our disposal are not perfectly equal.

The red car has a lower triangle that is almost horizontal from the front, while the W15 has an arm that, on the hub side, has a lower attachment compared to the chassis, with an estimated inclination of approximately 3°. As for the upper arms, on the SF-24, the arm has been raised to anchor it, on the chassis side, to the top of the lateral surface of the chassis.

The same link of the W15 has a greater inclination, as it attaches at an even higher position on the body. In terms of horizontal, the inclination of this element should be around 7°. Cinematically speaking, these differences result in a different positioning of the roll center (the point around which the entire suspension “rotates”), which determines, during movement, different dynamic behaviors.

This center varies its position during movement, and to reduce its migration, the upper and lower triangles are often phased in length. We see, in fact, how the width of the arms on the W15 is more staggered, seeking a more stable roll center during movement. This aspect significantly simplifies the study of the dynamic behavior of the single-seater.

A greater mutual inclination makes the intersection of the extensions of the arms (instantaneous center of rotation) closer to the mid-plane of the car. This means that the roll center will be higher, and hypothetically closer in height to the center of mass. The SF-24 has a mutual inclination of about 2.5°, while on the W15, this value is higher and slightly exceeds 4°. For this reason, on the German car, the intersection of the extensions will occur at a point closer to the mid-plane.

The roll center of the Ferrari is lower, and the vertical distance between this point and the center of mass will be greater, hence the inertia force arm is longer. We immediately note a significant difference in terms of front-end rigidity. Now let’s try to understand what these differences entail in practical terms.

A higher center will determine a suspension with a stiffer behavior and a greater camber recovery, as the instantaneous center of rotation is closer to the symmetry of the car. The SF-24 has thus increased its camber recovery by a few percentage points, but we are still far from the values of Red Bull-style suspensions.

Certainly, the suspension compliance is greater as it is softer, but at the same time, an additional static camber will still need to be imposed to remedy the lower camber gain. An aspect that consequently leads to early heating of the shoulder, causing the tire to heat up quickly and, in the long run, creating more pronounced tyre wear. In conclusion, let’s sum up.

The suspension of the SF-24 has indeed changed, approaching the concept proposed by Red Bull, but the fundamental parameters that characterized the past Italian cars are still similar. Obviously, Ferrari technicians are seeking a mechanical compromise between greater yield and good camber recovery. Only the track will confirm the functioning of the new kinematics, which apparently seems to have broadened the operational range of the Maranello car significantly.