Although no rain is expected on Sunday, with temperatures likely to rise to the levels seen on Friday, Ferrari has decided, contrary to other teams, to sacrifice a bit of the cooling system of the power unit by mounting an engine cover with smaller vents compared to the version used in the free practice sessions on the first day of track action at the Hungaroring in Budapest.
Ferrari – Differences between practice and qualifying
On Friday, as can be seen from the photos below, with high temperatures almost reaching 60°C on the track surface, Ferrari preferred to mount engine covers with 5 side vents on the SF-24 cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. These were symmetrical covers in this case (an unusual detail if we remember the solution proposed in Austria, read here).
The cover to maximize the extraction of hot air from the power unit was also used during the final free practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but then disappeared during qualifying, making way for the solution (also symmetrical) with three exit vents on both cars from the Maranello team.
This will help the SF-24 to have greater aerodynamic efficiency, generally essential on circuits characterized by long straights and fast corners. Peculiarities that, however, are certainly not found at the Hungaroring. Will Ferrari benefit or be more penalized by this choice?
The cover used by McLaren and Mercedes
We have some questions for two reasons. The first is that other teams like McLaren and Mercedes have chosen very large vents (Red Bull, as always, is a case unto itself). The second is that in some cases Charles Leclerc and/or Carlos Sainz have already found themselves in the position of having to slow down to manage the temperatures of their car’s mechanical parts.
Prioritizing aerodynamics over cooling on a track like Budapest seems a fairly risky choice to us. The weather continues to be quite unpredictable at the Hungaroring. The race will soon answer our questions.
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