Ferrari has made a big mess with its development direction after a solid start to the 2024 Formula 1 championship. This is the situation that perfectly captures what has happened over the past few months. However, the company is very happy. This is supported by Frederic Vasseur and Benedetto Vigna, who provide percentages and numbers to back up their claims. In fact, if we look at last season, the points scored are double, and the gap with Red Bull is certainly smaller. Nevertheless, one cannot be ecstatic when the underlying condition after almost seventeen years remains the same: continuing to lose without remedy.
There is also another issue that needs to be mentioned. A fact that completely downplays the recent results achieved by Ferrari in Formula 1. We refer to the comparison with McLaren, which currently stands as the benchmark in the top category. The British team started from a very low point during the 2023 racing season. Until last June, in fact, the team was lingering in the middle of the standings, fighting to score points. Andrea Stella was very candid on the sidelines of the pre-season tests. He had warned everyone that it would take time to get back to the top.
However, a promise was kept, as the first aerodynamic update package transformed the MCL38. From then on, the papaya-colored cars consistently fought for the podium. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were the protagonists of a great comeback that brought the team to fourth place overall, overtaking Aston Martin. A stunning result that clarified one thing: with the right technical ideas in F1, you can do very well. And you don’t need Adrian Newey to go faster than Red Bull. Just consider the current performance of the MCL38, a car capable of performing really well.
If we reflect on the elements previously mentioned, perhaps Ferrari should be a little less happy. We say this because McLaren started from far behind, and within 12 months, under the same regulatory framework, they climbed the rankings to reach the top in terms of performance. Something that the Prancing Horse just can’t seem to do. The Maranello team lost its way at the crucial moment in the 2024 Formula 1 season. But when it seemed like they were close to reaching the top, the crisis hit, due to updates that don’t work and many other problems.
Recently, we have carefully analyzed all of Ferrari’s problems. And we’re not just referring to the bouncing. Aerodynamic bouncing is not the cause of all the issues. Without a doubt, this phenomenon has hindered the ambitions of the red team in Formula 1. There are very few doubts about this factor. But several headaches were already present before the Spanish Grand Prix and at the Circuit de Catalunya, without the new floor, the limits of the SF-24 emerged aggressively. In fact, although Charles Leclerc did not use the latest updated version, the handling of the Italian car was far from good.
Ferrari has always suffered from excessive rotation, an endemic characteristic of the car that seems incurable. Not to mention the narrow setup window, which has always limited performance on tracks where the transition between fast and slow corners is crucial. With or without the new floor. Furthermore, the level of rear downforce has never seemed adequate. The same goes for drag. The new inverted sidepods introduced at the Imola Grand Prix offered minimal advantages. Clearing space in the undercut area only helps if the airflow is managed optimally.
On the contrary, the problems increase, and the correct operating point of the F1 disappears. We can never know with absolute certainty what happened at Ferrari. Only the sporting management knows the mistakes that were made inside out. However, the behavior of the SF-24 on the track can explain the car’s shortcomings. One of these undoubtedly includes the effectiveness of the suspension systems. The front is very solid, often too much so. This factor unbalances the car, as the rear does not show the same level of competitiveness and cannot keep up with the front end.
To balance the aerodynamic platform, therefore, a compromise is sought, which automatically reduces performance considerably. The correction to the floor introduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix worked halfway. We saw this clearly in Belgium, where aerodynamic bouncing was present. On the second sector of a single lap, it was limiting, while in the race it appeared in the last stint when cornering speeds increased with lighter fuel loads. This factor had a significant impact in the final part of the race, favoring Piastri’s comeback and making it impossible to match Mercedes’ pace.
Ferrari, without former technical director Enrico Cardile, is making every effort to further update the SF-24. This work, led by Diego Tondi, involves several areas of the F1 car that are currently being modified. One of these concerns the suspension systems. For this reason, various changes to the internal components are being considered, which, theoretically, should allow the Maranello team to achieve better performance. The aero-mechanical interaction is crucial under the current regulations, and the team is convinced that these updates will put the car back on the right track. The question remains when.
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