Ferrari SF-24: upside-down inlets for recovering pressure to increase outwash

Scuderia Ferrari is about to finalize the first aerodynamic package for the SF-24 car. An Italian single-seater, which effectively builds on solid foundations and simultaneously offers the possibility of development throughout the Formula 1 championship. A context that was not feasible last year, as the structural limitations of the SF-23, given an obsolete setup, effectively blocked the possibility to introduce effective updates. However, some upgrades were still introduced by the Maranello team, forming a sort of hybrid to optimize the car while waiting for project 676, namely the car for the 2024 Formula 1 championship. The level of knowledge about the current regulatory body of the red car has increased. A good thing, even though it’s about two years late.

On the other hand, a team of the caliber of the Prancing Horse could not afford to simply stand by and stagnate within a sterile scenario, waiting until the 2026 Formula 1 season to return to its peak, when the new power unit and aerodynamic rules will be introduced and the Maranello team hopes to put together a project that is not only fast from the start (as was the 2022 Ferrari F1 car), but also a project that has important margins of improvement. For now, Red Bull remains the benchmark of this Formula 1. And the Austrian side should be seen as a source of absolute inspiration for everyone. The genius car designer Adrian Newey once again hit the mark, supported by Pierre Waché, the technical director who recently renewed his contract with Red Bull, acquiring more decision-making power and control over future plans. Scuderia Ferrari is pivoting on this factor, advancing discussions with Adrian Newey, negotiations that are as challenging as they are enticing.

Returning to the present moment on the track, the Imola weekend is fast approaching and this year it will not be a special moment just because it takes place in Italy, in front of the most passionate fans in the world. The next two rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 racing campaign will not see any major novelties from Ferrari. In the Chinese Grand Prix and the Miami Grand Prix, the Maranello team will still seek to maximize results based on it’s current package available for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as it finally seems that the work done is functioning as it should. Two races where the red car will try to put pressure on the Milton Keynes team, considering that the SF-24, if managed properly, is not so far from the RB20. To achieve this, perfection must be present, however, keeping in mind that Red Bull remains the favorite for the upcoming round, set to take place at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, April 21.

The anticipation to see a new aerodynamic package for the Italian team is consuming its energy. There is just about one month until the engineers led by Enrico Cardile, the Head of the Ferrari Aerodynamics Department, will present the first major evolution of the Maranello car. This is undoubtedly a more aggressive approach because if shaving tenths off the reigning world champions is the goal, a necessary target to close the gap and try to win as many races as possible this year, the technical approach of Ferrari must necessarily modify its equation. A partly calculated risk to make the performance of the SF-24 more effective.

Ferrari SF-24: the technical reasons for overturning the inlet of the sidepods

During the past week, we have hinted at some developments Ferrari has in the pipeline. These are measures in the process of definition that will “impact” various areas of the single-seater. One of these, as expected considering its importance within the current regulatory framework, concerns the floor of the SF-24 car. A macro component capable of generating a significant percentage of aerodynamic downforce without having to deal with the complications resulting from potential drag. Therefore, we will undoubtedly see visible and non-visible changes at the Imola circuit, but it’s crucial to remember that the underside of the floor plays a very important role in the overall performance.

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Furthermore, there might be some innovations in the area above the driver’s head. We are referring to the airbox, which, as we know, supplies air to the internal components of the car. A highly important upper area is the undertray, where what’s known in jargon as the undercut is present. This is a very important part of the car. By raising the sidepod inlets to the maximum size allowed by the regulations, Scuderia Ferrari will try to gain a few more cubic centimeters. Consequently, the high-pressure area developed in this section will be repositioned, considering that depending on the overpressure, a greater outwash effect can be achieved.

There is also another very interesting aspect regarding the so-called “tray”: an aerodynamic element introduced by the Red Bull team, which proves to be a very effective component for the structure of the fluid flowing over the single-seater and is just one of the small details that allows the Austrian side to be one step ahead of its main opponents. This technical scenario could be reversed, as Ferrari is expected to present a configuration opposite to the current one. This means that the lip related to the sidepod inlet could be reversed, finding a location opposite to the current one. In other words, a sort of “eyelid” placed on the other side of the inlet. At this point, the question arises naturally.

Why does Ferrari want to adopt inverted inlets? What are the technical reasons behind this measure? First of all, it must be said that such a change significantly alters the fluid structure in that area, so there’s a risk of not finding the right correlation between Computational Fluid Dynamics, wind tunnel and the track. When Red Bull presented the RB20 car, the other teams reproduced the solution by testing it on computers to quantify the gain accordingly. Then they tried to adapt the solution to their own cars to reap the same benefits, avoiding separation of the airflow in certain areas.

From an aerodynamic point of view, reversing the inlet is the next step after the now classic solution of raising the lower edge as much as possible. Unable to do it further, they reverse it. In this way, the undercut becomes more voluminous, gaining several cubic centimeters of space, and consequently, pressure is recovered in that precise area of the car. Ferrari could be the first Formula 1 team to “copy” the solution adopted by Red Bull in 2024, therefore confirming the excellent work of the technicians in Maranello on the SF-24.

Furthermore, achieving a more effective outwash effect would mean further distancing the “tyre wake,” the turbulent fluid mass generated by the rolling of the front tire which, as we know, tends to be sucked under the car’s floor, reducing its efficiency. Limiting the effect of these turbulences through outwash (the displacement of fluids towards the outside) also results in a significant improvement in terms of flow cleanliness. This measure automatically provides greater stability to the floor in generating aerodynamic downforce at different speeds.

Ferrari SF-24