New operational range for Ferrari SF-24 amid performance on push lap and degradation management

Once the Ferrari SF-24 hit the track, it performed well immediately. Moreover, it’s important to highlight a very different concrete fact when compared to the past competitive campaign. The car, born from project 676, has shown a significantly wider setup window. This is a notable difference compared to the SF-23, a car limited to a very narrow working range due to front-end issues caused by a design error related to the chassis.

Having a wide range available to make the car work means giving drivers and engineers the possibility to nail the setup and maximize the car’s performance. This is a fundamental distinctive trait for competing at the top. The quality of the work done by the men in red starts from this technical assumption. An aspect on which Ferrari can only grow over the course of the championship.

Moreover, the car responds positively to changes made to suspension systems and ride heights. This factor allows for the verification of the car’s performance and the selection of the optimal ride height for the entire weekend. For the rest, we can say that the drivers’ handling is much more comfortable. There’s a lot of confidence when gripping the steering wheel, offering Ferrari drivers the possibility to push without the single-seater adopting bizarre behaviors with sudden losses of downforce.

Then there’s another interesting issue related to this aspect. We’re referring to the power release of the horsepower produced by engine 066/10. The pull-rod suspension scheme at the rear, with changes and updates in terms of kinematics, allows for a truly exceptional grounding of the horsepower. Optimal traction which, combined with a more precise front end on entry and subsequent ease of rotation, allows for benefits in acceleration phases.

Ferrari SF-24: Solid, responsive to adjustments, does what the drivers ask

Aside from these aspects, let’s go into further details to fully understand what to expect from the SF-24 this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit. The most important performance-related information is indeed twofold: the red car has a much more solid front end that offers a good phase of corner entry and more rotation. Moreover, the baseline for development is quite wide.

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During the 2023 Formula 1 season, keeping the car in the correct operational window throughout the race was very complicated. The SF-23 was inconsistent and very sensitive to external changes: track conditions, wind, and temperatures. Hitting the work range point under such conditions was almost utopian considering the reduced window. Furthermore, the single-seater was unpredictable due to an imperfect aeromechanical correlation between the floor and the diffuser.

For this reason, a thorough analysis was triggered in the wind tunnel, rotating the car by several degrees and bearing in mind that, at a certain yaw angle, the airflow hitting the single-seater can vary significantly. Between Saturday and Sunday, there was a negative performance delta. The car was able to bring the tires into the correct working range very quickly, but over the long distance, this advantage turned into a headache.

Problems with overheating and premature wear led to various complications during the race. On the other hand, when an F1 car is not stable enough in dynamic phases, it is very complex to recreate race situations in simulations and, consequently, to formulate a tire model useful for predicting the response to stresses over a lap.

Therefore, the objective at the Ferrari Racing Division was to obtain a more consistent base to improve the car’s response to setup variations. Achieving this target means having a clearer picture of what is happening. This fundamental condition will allow for better identification of the direction in which to evolve, automatically widening the much-discussed operational window of the car.

A question on the margin of consideration: could the SF-24, therefore, be faster in the race than in qualifying? Answering with certainty is not simple, as on the push lap the RB20 has undoubtedly made a step forward. However, most likely, we can say that at Ferrari, they managed to maintain those peculiarities that made the SF-23 quite strong on a single lap.

In Maranello, many areas of the single-seater have been revised, among which the vehicle dynamics area stands out. This department of Red Bull is established as a cornerstone on which Milton Keynes has built much of its fortune. A division that boasts a deep understanding of the single-seater and the key parameters to intervene on to extract performance. Difficult to match them shortly, even if they are now in a phase of marginal development considering the now consolidated base.

Ferrari’s front suspension has approached Red Bull concepts, while maintaining a similar philosophy on roll centers and camber recovery. Therefore, a search was made for a difficult compromise between the various kinematic parameters that act on the front end of the SF-24 and, apparently, the low-speed behavior relative to the compounds over the long distance seems improved.

With the high temperatures in Bahrain, the technicians identified limits on tire degradation, gathering many useful pieces of information within a scenario that included very challenging track conditions. However, there remains a fact to evaluate: in Sakhir, the very fast wide-radius corners are not present, where the tire reaches maximum levels of deformation with a very high temperature build-up.

On the time attack, the first lap of the race pace simulation, Ferrari showed a level equal to Red Bull, although from the high fuel tests we noted how the advantage over McLaren and Mercedes seemed smaller. Reason for which we can argue that the work to be done to confirm itself as the second force in the race without worries must still be carried out through “fine-tuning” during the free practice sessions at the Sakhir circuit.

The number one prerogative for the Prancing Horse, therefore, aims to understand how to make the front and rear suspension work best, which, as we know, has undergone a downsizing of the components hidden under the bodywork, although the activation of the internal elements such as rockers, anti-roll bars, and torsion bars should remain unchanged.

Considering the setup of the SF-24, we expect fewer compromises, both in terms of mechanics and aerodynamics. The more stable front end allows for greater setup variations on the internal components. Moreover, with a wider camber recovery, the lower static value of this parameter will stress the compounds less. A necessary aspect to achieve an optimal solution: maintaining a lot of performance on the single lap while limiting tire degradation.