Ferrari won in Monaco, the eighth round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship. A weekend that will remain etched in the eyes of supporters. A dazzling triumph that Charles Leclerc strongly desired. His attitude made the difference because when the Monegasque, on Thursday morning, went to the circuit by bike, he already had the focus of victory in his eyes. A display of character strength. A significant qualitative step that projects him towards another phase of his Formula 1 career. Charles Leclerc has enormous talent that necessarily needs to be channeled. In this, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur is helping him a lot, as is the new approach of the Italian side, a team more solid, decisive, and ready to take risks to achieve its goals.
To cross the finish line first, several elements are needed: a competitive car, a cohesive team behind, and two strong drivers. Ferrari has everything to climb to the top of the most important motorsport category. The Prancing Horse believes in it, tired of playing a supporting role in Formula 1 and watching others win. The awareness of being able to do it is present, and the recent ghosts of Mattia Binotto’s management, disastrous in several aspects, seem definitively erased. The ongoing championship is still very long. We are talking about 16 rounds in which anything can still happen.
Besides the Maranello team, McLaren is also in great shape. This scenario should not be seen as a problem. On the contrary, another team capable of fighting at the top and beating Red Bull is a great ally. The Milton Keynes team is suffering. A lot. And Max Verstappen’s words that he is not worried matter little. The Dutchman is no longer serene and the mental strength of someone who knows every race Sunday that he has no rivals no longer exists. On the contrary, the world champion has to draw on all his qualities to excel, and as we have seen, it is no longer even enough in certain situations.
Let’s be clear: Red Bull remains the favorite Formula 1 team for both championships this year. However, Max Verstappen has been forced to leave his comfort zone. He no longer resides there, a context in which he never made any errors. He had to “humanize” himself in practice because the RB20 is a fantastic car but no longer dominant. A car that has flaws and, as Adrian Newey himself revealed to the media, one of these, linked to the front end, will not be fully resolved until next winter, in preparation for the 2025 Formula 1 championship. This is also why Ferrari believes in it, aware that fighting for the constructors’ title is not impossible.
F1, Ferrari “uses” the Pirelli tests to test the setup for Canada
Monaco is a track unto itself. Its peculiarities do not allow for a clear competitive level to be drawn, as there are too many variables. The migration of load to the rear and the absence of compromises make it difficult to establish the absolute competitiveness of a car. We say this regarding the recent update on the SF-24 single-seater. An updated version that has seen the appearance in the central area of the car of the so-called “shark inlets”. Inverted sidepods, in short, to increase by a few cubic centimeters the undercut area. Undercuts that in this regulatory body governing the competitiveness of wing cars play a fundamental role.
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The Imola circuit has shown the first taste of this new setup. This upgrade is accompanied by other measures. The most important one concerns the floor, with major modifications found in the area under the car where the Venturi channels are located. There are also some minor but effective adjustments, such as the cobra-shaped vortex generators behind the driver’s shoulders, the slot at the top of the sidepods to manage the boundary layer, and some tweaks to the wing tips, the outer part of the rear wing. This package still needs time and track testing to be fully optimized.
Imola, albeit to a lesser extent, like Monte Carlo, does not have very significant aero-mechanical compromises. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada is not the perfect track in this regard either, but at least it will clear up many doubts about aerodynamic efficiency. A definitive assessment of the introduced innovations is expected in the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in about a month. The technical department led by Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile is doing a really good job. As we know, the upgrade plan includes further chapters, new features already scheduled for the next four months, as the Maranello team will regularly introduce modifications to the SF-24 to integrate the aerodynamic package.
The goal? To enhance the car and have the possibility to win every race, on any type of circuit. Returning to the present, an aside. On Wednesday, the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix was in France, at the Paul Ricard circuit to be exact. The Monegasque did his part in the Pirelli tests, specifically focusing on rain tires. One day prior to that, Carlos Sainz was at the wheel of the latest Ferrari SF-24 version, with experimental tires for the 2025 Formula 1 season. The objective was to assist the Italian manufacturer.
Meanwhile, however, in the nearly 800 kilometers covered, there was also the opportunity to test the car. Every opportunity is good and must be seized in Formula 1. For this reason, the historic team has conducted parallel data collection in view of the Canadian Grand Prix. As we can see from the photos released on social media by Pirelli, the SF-24 number 55 was fitted with the rear wing used at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. A specification that provides a good level of downforce but also takes efficiency into account, which is important in Montreal, especially considering the straight in the third sector of the Canadian track.
Among the various runs completed, in addition to continuing the validation of the updated aero package, Ferrari tested a setup that could adapt to the characteristics of the North American track. Valuable information that will be processed in the driver-in-the-loop simulator in the week leading up to the ninth round of the 2024 championship in Canada. The Maranello team is very focused. Every detail is meticulously taken care of. The next two races will be crucial to understand if the two SF-24 cars can make another qualitative leap and, ahead of schedule, compete for more than just a single race victory.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
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