The Barcelona Grand Prix was the real moment that delivered its verdict for Ferrari: the performances of Red Bull with Max Verstappen and McLaren with Lando Norris were better than Ferrari’s. The Dutchman’s victory was determined by Lando Norris’s disappointing start but also by the qualities of the blue car with a full fuel load, as demonstrated by the easy overtaking of the Dutchman on George Russell. In theory, Ferrari should have competed at the top given the fact that the Maranello technicians introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya the second aerodynamic package for the SF-24 car.
The updates need to be understood
Since the Spanish Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz no longer had the chance to fight for the race victory and not even for a podium finish, which only arrived at the Red Bull Ring for Carlos Sainz thanks to a crash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The SF-24 updates go hand in hand with the complex understanding of the package. The car had improved in the first six races, without developments, by improving things on the track.
The limit: Ferrari doesn’t make good use of the soft tires
The SF-24, unlike the old car, is a very stable car, but its strength is also its great weakness: not finding the peak performance when using soft compounds. This aspect helps to preserve the tire but delays its entry into the operating window. The engineers were able to work with the new aero package, updated by over 80% compared to the original program. The new “specification 4” of the rear wing also debuted in the aerodynamic package, something that would have helped in China and Suzuka. The aerodynamicists waited for a better understanding to define the degree of incidence useful to bring the load level from medium to medium-high.
The return of bouncing
There are two fundamental aspects that determine the development of ground effect F1 cars: how much load you can afford to add without approaching harmful bouncing and how much free drag you can prevent while doing so. The best side seen on the SF-24 (version 2.1) is that it was able to improve some weaknesses. In terms of straight-line speed, it was the best car but not in terms of absolute load efficiency.
This is why Fred Vasseur spoke at length about optimization. “We fought with bouncing all weekend,” admitted Carlos Sainz after the Spanish Grand Prix, a situation that was also encountered in the following races, which eventually forced the Maranello team to revert to the previous aerodynamic package in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Why qualifying is the weak point
It’s no secret that a big problem with this car has been the performance in qualifying. It won’t be easy to solve without substantial improvements, which are unlikely to be imaginable during the season. Ferrari gained another two-tenths on Verstappen’s Red Bull, which is no longer dominant. But the gap needs to be shortened further before the Milton Keynes team reacts and gives its response, which will most likely be the case in Hungary. Additionally, Mercedes needs to be repelled, and the gap with McLaren needs to be reduced, which today—with Lando Norris—perhaps has the best overall technical compromise. Potentially, the possibility of using additional budget to have new parts available from now until the end will also have an impact.
In 2025, the suspension changes
The recent departure of Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, who will join Aston Martin, should not disrupt the technical office’s setup or the principles of the next car. The main guidelines have been decided, and the 2025 chassis has already been revised to use new mechanical settings, a rather aggressive choice considering the time with the current regulations is running out (the new cycle starts in 2026). New parts are being developed in the wind tunnel to improve the current aerodynamics in certain areas not yet redesigned, as well as the future design. Among the main new features are the suspensions: both front and rear will be different.
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