Ferrari has prepared the SF-24 for the 2024 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix with a high-downforce setup, even though top speeds at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit can exceed those recorded at Monza.
The Maranello team has chosen a configuration similar to that used in Monaco, implementing solutions that account for the thinner air at over 2,200 meters altitude, which reduces air density by about 30%, requiring specific adjustments to the cooling systems for the engine, turbo, and brakes.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Ferrari, in addition to displaying an engine cover with five deep and particularly long gills, adds six new air vents on top of the sidepods, an innovation not seen previously on this year’s car.
At Maranello, they are prioritizing system reliability over aerodynamic efficiency, a completely different approach from last Sunday in Austin, where Ferrari achieved a well-deserved one-two finish with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Giorgio Piola’s images show us the #38 SF-24 with which Oliver Bearman will take part in the first free practice session at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, with the Ferrari junior returning to the cockpit of the SF-24 car after the Saudi Arabian GP, when he was urgently called to replace Carlos Sainz, who was recovering from an emergency appendectomy.
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