It’s time for updates for several teams on the grid. After the first four races of learning and getting to know the new single-seaters, the first aerodynamic innovations and more are on the way for the 2024 cars. However, compared to last year, the “debut” race has changed from Barcelona to Imola. Let’s see why many teams on the grid have chosen Imola and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as the scheduled appointment to debut updates.
The 2024 Formula 1 calendar, since its approval, has presented several novelties. The FIA and Formula 1 wanted to optimize travel to try to reduce air travel and fuel consumption. The consequence of this was the change of slots between the various races. The easiest example is Suzuka, the most recent appointment that used to be in October and in 2024 took place in early April.
These changes have also brought about changes in the scheduling of updates, crucial for improving car performance. Until last year, many teams chose the Barcelona track as the appointment to debut updates. Not a random choice, in fact, the Montmelò circuit includes many indicative corners for a single-seater’s performance.
However, since 2023, to make the track faster and increase overtaking opportunities, the last chicane was removed, a crucial point for evaluating the single-seater in slow corners. In addition to technical reasons, the choice of Barcelona to debut updates is mainly logistical, as all teams are based in one of the states of the old continent. A logistical reason that can also be applied to the Italian circuit.
If the Spanish track is ideal for evaluating the competitiveness of a single-seater, Imola still has some corners where the value of the cars can be understood. The most striking example is the Villeneuve variant, a fast left-right where the mechanical and aerodynamic balance of the single-seater is evaluated.
Next is the Acque Minerali variant, a sequence of three corners, with the first part featuring a braking to be done while maintaining speed. Numerous braking and acceleration corners to check traction and braking. The only elements missing at Imola are the fast corners to be taken with speed, like those at Barcelona and Suzuka, the latter being the first real test bench of 2024.
An intense weekend is therefore looming in Italy, where several teams are ready to introduce technical innovations to their various single-seaters.
Source: f1ingenerale
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