Even without the victory, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix remains one of Ferrari’s best performances of the 2024 Formula 1 season due to the car’s qualities, preparation, and execution over the Baku weekend. At the same time, the excellent Azerbaijan weekend raises doubts about the Maranello team’s car projects in recent years. If the world championship drought continues for Ferrari, it’s also due to cars that perform best on less common track types on the Formula 1 calendar.
There is a statistic that makes one reflect on the latest Ferrari cars coming out of Maranello. From 2021 to today, between Monte Carlo and Baku, Ferrari has secured 8 pole positions out of 9 qualifying sessions, including one for the Sprint. Including Singapore, over the last 4 years, the Italian side has obtained 9 pole positions in 11 qualifying sessions on street circuits dominated by short, slow, and ninety-degree corners. This particular statistic is partly due to Charles Leclerc, one of the best at qualifying laps on street circuits. However, the Monegasque’s skill is not the only reason.
In the same circumstances, Carlos Sainz also often proves competitive, sometimes even ahead of his Maranello teammate. The many poles earned on city tracks reflect undeniable technical merits of the car, including an excellent suspension system that absorbs track surface imperfections well at low speeds. Additionally, the power unit provides good torque delivery in traction. However, the statistic also indicates a recurring design philosophy of Ferrari cars in recent years.
When the best performances of the season are concentrated on street circuits, it does not indicate a car capable of fighting everywhere. For years, Ferrari cars have shown certain characteristics that come at the expense of other qualities, potentially more rewarding throughout the championship. In the design phase, it is impossible to focus on every performance area. Between long or short corners, high, medium, or low speed, high or low aerodynamic load, it’s necessary to set objectives, choosing which behaviors and configurations to enhance. In technical terms, it involves shaping the aerodynamic map, which describes the performance of load, efficiency, balance, and other aerodynamic figures under various conditions. Supporting this is the study of suspensions, designed to enhance certain characteristics.
The philosophy evident in Ferrari cars in recent years is one of having a rear end well-planted at low speeds, ensuring traction and thus good acceleration out of slow corners. There is also good responsiveness in changes of direction, with cars that support the driver on corner entry but lack stability during cornering. With the addition of new circuits, the calendar has recently become increasingly varied in terms of track types. However, championship-winning cars continue to excel in medium-to-high speed and long-corner tracks, which are prevalent on European circuits that emphasize stability and aerodynamic load, as well as good balance at every speed. It sometimes happens that the same championship-winning cars also win on street circuits, but not at the cost of reduced competitiveness elsewhere on the calendar.
Paradoxically, Ferrari’s fourth consecutive pole position at the Baku City circuit prompts reflection. Perhaps from Austin, the Italian side could disprove critics by showing competitive performance on every track. However, at the moment, the Scuderia continues to inherit the common DNA of recent cars, intrinsic to the character of the car. There is a particular design vision that transcends regulations, with strengths and weaknesses also identifiable in Ferrari cars from before 2022 and thus under the current regulations.
For years, drivers have commented on a lack of stability and generally poor performance on long-corner tracks at medium speed. Repeatedly, Budapest, Zandvoort, and Barcelona have proven to be challenging tracks for Ferrari, whose best performances continue to come at Monaco, Baku, and Singapore. This observation goes beyond competitiveness compared to rivals. Even the excellent F1-75 from two years ago, justifiably considered the best car on the grid in the first half of the 2024 Formula 1 season, showed less competitiveness in the same areas as the Ferraris that preceded and followed it.
With the 2024 F1 project, a significant transformation began at Maranello, producing a car that finally performs better in races than in the qualifying session. This is the result of efforts to improve drivability, widening the operating window. The stability often lacking in previous projects has improved, giving drivers greater confidence. Thanks to fewer corrections on the steering wheel, Ferrari has reduced slip, keeping tire temperatures in check, and tire degradation is now lower. However, the fact that the Maranello car continues to perform best on less rewarding tracks for the championship highlights that the philosophical transformation, in terms of design, is still incomplete. It will be up to Loic Serra, newly appointed as technical director, to complete it.
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