Scuderia Ferrari seems to have found the right path: the Maranello team has promoted the Barcelona floor that was rejected at the Silverstone circuit in the British Grand Prix. The modification to the diffuser and small reinforcements to the kerb in front of the rear wheels have shown their results, although the Hungaroring track, being slow, does not exacerbate bouncing.
The crucial point of the track is turn 4, where significant lap time can be gained, and where Charles Leclerc made a serious mistake yesterday by crashing the SF-24 car. The Monegasque driver has been psychologically affected by the incident, but today he must react, relying on a Ferrari that is decidedly better than what has been seen in the last four races.
The Maranello team needs to dispel some “ghosts,” and team principal Fred Vasseur has done well to keep the ship steady, insisting on the need to evolve the latest aerodynamic update package.
Giorgio Piola’s image of the SF-24 on the trolleys allows us to take a look inside the Ferrari diffuser to observe how the keel of the chassis is very linear and clean in design and does not show the recesses that were previously used to generate very complex vortices to manage.
Ferrari is aware that it does not have the pace of McLaren but wants to score important points to defend against the attack from the Woking team for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, as the gap has narrowed to just 7 points.
To put Charles Leclerc at ease, the Maranello team has decided to return to the 2023 brake ducts and calipers: the Monegasque driver has always complained about the lack of confidence in the crucial braking phase, which has always been his strong point and one of the technical aspects qualifying the Ferrari. The Brembo material is not to blame as other teams have been able to exploit the innovations; it is a “mysterious” problem that has affected Charles Leclerc, and Ferrari wants to support its driver so he can regain full motivation.
To combat the heat, Ferrari has adopted the SF-24 engine cover with five vents to release hot air to avoid reliability issues with the 066/12 power unit, but the Ferrari is not one of the most open cars at the Hungaroring.
Work was done overnight on the data, and to seek better performance in turn 4, it is possible that the team will slightly increase the car’s load to give the drivers more confidence in the crucial point of the track without compromising too much speed at the speed trap to attempt overtakes if there is no chance of aiming for pole position.
