SF-24: Ferrari’s new brake duct solution to prevent heat from radiating to front tire | 2024 Miami GP. Ferrari's new SF-24 brake duct solution as seen in the F1 Miami pitlane.

Scuderia Ferrari hasn’t brought significant new features to the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Miami Grand Prix, choosing instead to introduce a major update package in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit, during the first European race. For now, we must be content with the new livery enriched by two shades of blue that adorn the SF-24 and the appearance of HP as the title sponsor.

In reality, Italian journalist, illustrator, and sports commentator Giorgio Piola never misses a chance to observe the details of individual cars, and in the Miami pit lane, he noticed the front brake duct. This year, the Scuderia has adapted the design of this carbon element to choices that had been made by other teams, namely to “dress” the disc and caliper with two ducts, in an attempt to isolate the heat produced by the brake system, creating a sort of cavity with cold air that prevented the wheel rim from absorbing the high temperature that could be transmitted to the tire.

Since Formula 1 adopted 18-inch wheels in 2022 and the FIA banned air vents from the outer part of the wheel, as special wheel covers were mounted, teams that used to radiate brake heat to quickly bring the front tires up to temperature have completely changed their strategy, trying to isolate the cover as much as possible from the bursts of heat generated by the disc during braking.

Last year, the red team had a double duct mounted on the same element: a solution that theoretically was supposed to offer a weight advantage but, in reality, had the flaw of not being easily developable. In the photo, you can see the lower duct, while the outer one has been removed, so it is possible to see which parts of the inlets cool the caliper and which the disc, with specific ducts for each detail.

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