Ferrari is confident of repeating a positive performance in Baku after Charles Leclerc’s success in the Italian Grand Prix. With the aerodynamic package that debuted at Monza, the Maranello team seems to have mitigated the bouncing of the SF-24, which had heavily affected the car’s behavior since the introduction of a new floor at the Barcelona race.
More importantly, it seems the Ferrari technicians have figured out how to make the car more balanced.
The key to the competitiveness of ground-effect cars lies in balance, which has been the “buzzword” most heard by engineers in recent months: for each track, it’s essential to find equilibrium between the front and rear ends during sudden load variations in sections with tight corners and high-speed stretches.
Achieving a neutral behavior today is worth more than finding aerodynamic load in the wind tunnel, as it means being able to limit tire degradation and overheating risks, extending race stints without sudden performance drops.
The Scuderia won at the temple of speed by implementing a one-stop race strategy, while McLaren, chasing with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, had to give in to a second stop.
Did Ferrari play a wild card at Monza, or have they started a positive cycle that could extend to Baku and Singapore? This is the answer Maranello’s aerodynamics team, led by Diego Tondi, is waiting for.
There are high expectations for the SF-24 single-seater in the challenging Azerbaijan Grand Prix: the wings are no longer the ultra-low drag ones specifically designed for the Italian race (which will be useful again in Las Vegas), but the rest of the Monza aerodynamic package should suit the needs of a street circuit that combines a technical section where traction is required with a very fast section, featuring a 2.2 km straight.
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The sleeker nose and slimmed-down engine cover under the bazooka, along with the new floor, have given Ferrari a behavior that allows it to be particularly gentle on the tires.
At the Monza event, we described in detail the visible changes made to the underbody, which has been redesigned with completely different air passages, but we weren’t able to thoroughly analyze the rear diffuser.
Ferrari has done extensive work in the wind tunnel to revise the airflow dynamics. Giorgio Piola’s drawing shows us two important aspects: first, the diffuser in the central lower part has the pointed shape of a boat’s keel, while in the upper area, two carbon ribs are visible, directing the wake flows in a significantly different way.
If the positive impressions are confirmed in both Baku and Singapore, Ferrari will introduce further updates to the front wing in Austin, taking advantage of the Formula 1 break.
As the FIA has officially confirmed that McLaren and Mercedes’ profiles are fully compliant, even though TV images show them flexing and rotating, reducing drag in fast sections while ensuring necessary downforce in slow corners, it’s likely Ferrari will respond with their own interpretation of the rule. This could open up a line of research to be applied to the 2025 car as well.
For this reason, the investment made would not only be made for the SF-24 but would have a positive impact next year too.
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