Haas VF-24 analysis – many innovations that preview Ferrari's SF-24 car?

Haas has unveiled the 2024 car, showcasing some innovations that might also appear on the upcoming Ferrari. The American team is the first on the grid to reveal the 2024 car. The news is that it’s not a render but an actual car. Haas has already revealed many innovations on the VF24, and we may see something similar on the Ferrari. The most significant updates concern the side pods and suspensions. The Red Bull influence is clearly visible, but the mechanics are all Ferrari.

New Side Pods for Haas
The immediately noticeable innovation is the new side pod geometry. We find a revised inlet section with an RB19-style tray that ensures better flow separation. The underframe is now much wider to feed better towards the bottom and improve the car’s efficiency. The intrusion cone has been moved to the bottom, similar to the Ferrari SF-24, freeing up a lot of space in that area. The new side pods use the downwash effect to direct air towards the rear of the car, ensuring better flow quality. However, there doesn’t seem to be a slide, as seen on the Aston Martin last year.

Radiator Relocation
The airbox is now much larger than last season and is no longer triangular. This change is likely due to the narrower side pods requiring a radiator repositioning. The new higher position requires a different cooling flow, somewhat affecting the center of gravity. Another innovation is the redesigned engine cover. It no longer adheres to the exhaust like last year but has a horizontal part that alters the flow management towards the rear wing and the beam wing. We will probably see this solution on the Ferrari as well. The American team has also decided to move the cooling inlets to the horizontal area.

Anti-Dive Suspension, Does the Haas VF24 Preview Ferrari?
Another significant innovation concerns the front suspensions. The layout remains push-rod, but the VF24 has adopted an anti-dive geometry that we will likely see on the Ferrari SF-24. This solution helps maintain platform stability during braking. This should ensure greater stability of the aerodynamic map and, therefore, less car instability. The trade-off is a slight loss of sensitivity during deceleration.

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At the rear, which remains pull, the position of the tie rod has been changed. Here, we find an anti-squat scheme. However, the tie rod relocation signals the desire to work the rear differently. You can read an in-depth analysis of the suspension here.

The nose of the new Haas VF24 attaches to the penultimate element of the front wing, similar to what all teams did in 2023. There are no revolutions in this area compared to last year. The first flap has a very generous chord, and Haas’s idea seems to be to exploit the blowouts in the endplate area.

Since Haas directly sources some components from Ferrari, it’s plausible to assume many innovations under the chassis. In particular, there are rumors of a shorter gearbox to vary the weight balance and, consequently, change the tire usage. The goal is undoubtedly to improve tire management given the significant difficulties of last year.

The car will probably see new elements during the first test days. Even though these might not be the final shapes, the Haas VF24 has already shown many interesting concepts that we will likely also see on the upcoming Ferrari.