Scuderia Ferrari has undertaken significant work over the winter and it seems the SF-24 is indeed a considerably different car compared to its predecessor. A reversal of trends was necessary to achieve a substantial competitive step. The Maranello team has worked diligently since the previous season, starting from Spain onward, studying technically more factual and efficient principles within the current regulatory framework. They did so with knowledge, increasing the information pool at every race weekend in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
This way of working was applied to Project 676, the first car of the new cycle aiming for a clear goal: to return to winning. The Ferrari Racing Division, led by Enrico Cardile, chose to make several changes to the SF-23, a quirky and tricky car that had no intention of reacting correctly to setup changes. The inherent flaw, as we know, was the weakness identified since pre-season testing regarding the front-end of the Maranello car. A distinctive and detrimental trait that, in turn, compromised the entire championship in 2023.
With changes to the chassis and impact structure, things have profoundly changed. The front end of the red car is now very solid, perhaps even too much in certain circumstances. As we witnessed during last week’s tests and the first Free Practice sessions on Thursday, the SF-24 showed an even excessive rotation at times, with oversteer that needs to be managed to avoid issues with the car’s rear end.
Ferrari SF-24: Chassis changes on the 2024 car serve a specific aerodynamic purpose
We have examined in detail the behavior of the red car in these first free practice sessions held at the Bahrain circuit. We did so through on-board, telemetric, and performance analyses, useful for understanding the operation of the two SF-24 cars, which, in the first race weekend of the 2024 F1 season, intend to deliver high performance. Therefore, there is still work to be done today to optimize performance.
For the rest, thanks to the images posted by various journalists from the Bahrain pitlane, we can examine the front end of the red car and create a technical comparison. A technical measure that the men of the historic Italian team have decided to make factual. We refer to the SF-24’s chassis. Glancing at the front section of the latest engineering work of the Prancing Horse, in fact, we observe how the car’s chassis has been expanded by a few square millimeters in its lower zone.
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Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
The objective sought by the department led by Enrico Cardile, in this case, does not seem to have a direct relationship with the accommodation of the internal suspension components to the chassis. The push-rod suspension mounted at the front of the car, therefore, maintains the same arrangement and remains unchanged in this respect. The extension on the lower side of the chassis, therefore, aims at another function that has allowed the repositioning of the “Optimess MC” sensor by Elag, a component used for some measurements.
We refer to data collection related to the mere dynamics of the vehicle, including, for example, the crucial ground clearances that we know can make a significant difference in wing car performance. This element on the SF-24 is now located in a lower area of the chassis. As we know, a different section of the chassis is not responsible for improving the car’s dynamics. The chassis must be capable of providing good rigidity, but a slightly larger section should not directly affect the reduction of understeer.
The effective work of a suspension system is achieved by the arrangement in space of its components. The real reasons for this modification, therefore, should be sought in the aerodynamic realm. We know well how a larger section of the chassis can significantly help manage the flows that run on the underside of the nose to avoid possible and detrimental separation of the fluid vein. In the end, it’s worth pointing out that Ferrari does not adopt the same physical form or appearance of Red Bull in this area of the car.
Source: Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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