Scuderia Ferrari reveals its hand and shows us the 2.0 version of the SF-24 single-seater featuring the technical updates that will debut in the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit. A different aerodynamic shape that carries a specific purpose: to enhance and improve the car in all areas. The first version of the 2024 Ferrari car has been described as “conventional.” An F1 car that, according to many, didn’t dare to innovate to avoid potentially irreparable mistakes. However, the operational plan was clear in the minds of the strategists within the sports management. On the other hand, the red car is following a particular technical path, playing the role of the Red Bull challenger. To do so correctly, it preferred not to rush the process.
The Prancing Horse team takes advantage of the second filming day at its home racing track in Fiorano allowed by the regulations with the primary role of shooting commercial footage with the new HP logo on the bodywork and wings.
The day actually began with a run-out of the F1-75 driven by Arthur Leclerc, the Scuderia’s third driver who is expected to alternate with Ollie Bearman.
The Italian side takes this opportunity to evaluate the new aerodynamic package, which should enable the red car to make a significant leap in terms of performance and to hopefully challenge Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, especially since the victorious McLaren in the Miami Grand Prix appears to have surpassed the SF-24 in raw pace.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur has stuck to the planned schedule with three major developments scheduled over the course of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with the first set to appear on track at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit for the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix next week. Technicians led by trackside manager Matteo Togninalli will collect data to verify the full correlation between the wind tunnel, simulation systems, and the actual car driven by the two main drivers.
This morning, Charles Leclerc started work at Fiorano: he will complete 100 kilometers in the morning, while Carlos Sainz will take over in the afternoon. The Monegasque driver has started getting acquainted with Bryan Bozzi, the new track engineer who has replaced Xavi Marcos.
From the first images we clearly see that Ferrari has changed its approach, aligning more closely with the concepts of the Red Bull RB20, which were also adopted by the McLaren MCL38 last weekend in Miami, when the team led by Andrea Stella introduced its own udates. It should be noted that the sidepods with the visor instead of the tray in front of the radiator inlet are not the result of copying after seeing the first images of Adrian Newey’s car, but rather the work and contribution of the Red Bull technicians that joined the Maranello team in the winter. Some representatives from Milton Keynes, who arrived in Maranello in December, had previewed the RB20’s innovations, which were then evaluated by the aerodynamicists.
The main goal is to increase downforce without compromising aerodynamic efficiency: the new sidepod inlet, with a radiator cooling intake that appears decidedly narrower, allows for a different flow pattern, favoring greater airflow under the floor and thus reducing the undercut on the side, which is now more aggressive without shifting the radiating masses but by adapting the ducting to the new shapes.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that even the upper part of the sidepod has a different design, partly abandoning the channel that characterized the SF-24 single-seater in its early stages, in order to improve the efficiency of the beam wing, in the hope of reducing rear wing resistance. The “cobra” profile on the sides of the Halo attachment to the chassis is also very intriguing: the aerodynamic element is now separate from the safety device and has a shape when viewed from the front that resembles the reptile in attack mode.
Regarding the side-pod area, the reshaping of the sidepod inlets is evident. Freeing up as much space as possible in the undercut area is crucial in Formula 1 to gain valuable space. For this reason, the Ferrari SF-24 EVO adopts the Red Bull-style inverted tray with tapered mouths, aiming to increase the outwash effect of the car through the undercut. As for the upper part of the sidepods, a configuration of the slides remains faithful to the concepts of the base model of the SF-24.
The so-called bazooka area has been redesigned to be more bulging in the central part: it carries a smaller amount of hot air to dissipate at the rear with an outlet opening where this element narrows significantly. Completely new is the floor in every aspect: from the Venturi channel design to the diffuser, passing through the side areas, and this is the actual element that should allow the much sought-after leap in quality by the engineers coordinated by Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile.
There is also a new front wing that works more in synergy with the new sidepod aerodynamics.
Ferrari is the last to bring innovations among the top teams: the Maranello technicians they didn’t want to reveal anything in the two races with the Sprint Race format. In reality, some ready-made parts were not mounted because they had not passed all the quality tests required by Ferrari’s procedures.
The feeling is that the Scuderia’s reaction times are increasingly like an industry and less like a racing team. A characteristic that Red Bull Racing and McLaren have not wanted to lose, seeking in rapid growth one of the tools for advancement.
At the Ferrari Racing Department, engineers and technicians proceed with caution and only want to bring solutions to the car that can provide a certified performance advantage. Beyond Frederic Vasseur’s cautious statements after the Miami Grand Prix, where he downplayed the value of the updates, the hope is that at the Imola circuit, Ferrari can show a visible improvement on the stopwatch even on a track that on paper does not suit the characteristics of the red car.
At the moment, quantifying the gain in terms of lap time is not possible, and it’s only thanks to the data collected on the track between Fiorano and the free practice sessions in Imola that Ferrari will be able to provide a clear value for the update package. Undoubtedly, the expected advantage is important, as the adopted philosophies aim to significantly increase the value of the Italian car. As always in Formula 1, validating an upgrade, especially if it’s as substantial as in this case, the timelines are not always very rapid. Therefore, all we can do is wait for the seventh round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship to confirm the effectiveness of the work done by the Maranello technical department.
