Ferrari’s new SF-25 floor targets 0.2s gain with vortex redistribution | F1 Bahrain GP. Ferrari updates floor to improve aero efficiency and reduce understeer.

Ferrari is trying to get back into the fight that matters in F1. The first upgrade package had already been planned during the winter. However, there was a slight delay, as the engineers wanted to increase their understanding of the car with on-track data from the first three races of the season. After all, we’re talking about a different load distribution which, as a result, changes the SF-25’s operating window.

The new management of turbulence
Thanks to images from the Sakhir track, by first observing the on-track performance of the Italian car, we can make an initial specific analysis of this new macro component. It is an element tasked with generating most of the car’s aerodynamic load through the Venturi channels. First of all, one fact must be considered. In the second specification of the Ferrari floor, there are some updates that are not visible “in plain sight.”

The Italian team also wanted to update other crucial areas of the Ferrari. The first area of interest is the one formerly occupied by the bargeboards, where a re-profiling can be seen at the junction with the leading edge of the floor. In the previous version, the element ended with three clearly visible steps. In the current solution, Maranello’s aerodynamicists have produced a single-step version.

In addition, a small deflector has been added in the adjacent section of the floor, highlighted in purple. The goal is very simple: to redistribute the vorticity of the flow in that area. By moving from a triple to a single step, the idea is to generate a single, larger vortex. The cambering of these elements has also changed, meaning the vortex dynamics have been completely revised.

This element helps manage the turbulence generated downstream of the front tyre. Managing it is one of the factors that distinguish a good car from a great one. In any case, it’s essential to limit the intrusion of “dirty” airflow into the floor. A complex task, because pressure inside the floor is lower than the surrounding environment, so fluids are naturally drawn in.

More vortices on the Ferrari
The leading edge of the floor appears unchanged, but the innermost vertical fence has been modified, now extending above the Venturi channel fences. Moreover, its shape has clearly been altered. In this case, from a single vortex, they’ve moved to two separate and distinct ones.

Here too, the incidence of the fences relative to the flow direction appears to have changed. However, the initial area of the floor now works differently compared to the previous version. For this reason as well, we expect Ferrari to make some changes to the lower surfaces, which are not currently visible. These are rare images, seen only when the crane lifts the cars on track.

More load from the lateral part of the floor
Continuing on, we find further differences in the central area of the floor, at the cutting edge. The lateral diffuser, or “edge wing”, in the new version is visibly larger. Comparing the two versions, a fence has been added here, increasing lateral fluid extraction. The concepts remain unchanged, as the elements still work in the same way.

However, the load generated in this part of the car is now greater. This move contributes to advancing the pressure center of the element, in an attempt to reduce understeer at certain cornering speeds. The subsequent structure of the cutting edge appears very similar.