In the Canadian Grand Prix, at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Scuderia Ferrari should have performed much better if it hadn’t fallen into a vicious cycle related to tire pressures and weather conditions. The Canadian track, with corners of the same range alternated by stop & go sections, did not favor a technical recovery in form during the qualifying session. Those who took a wrong path in the final free practice session corrected it without resolving the difficulties. The grid position and race problems prevented a better performance analysis. Barcelona arrives at the right time in order to establish the strength level of the top teams. Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, and McLaren have already won at least one race this season, and even Mercedes could have won in Montreal without the mistakes made by George Russell. However, it is now important to return to evaluating the cars under more consistent conditions.
One year ago, the Ferrari SF-23 single-seater changed aerodynamics to start a different path. Today’s Ferrari is technically much better than a year ago when engineers made the first visible changes by abandoning the bathtub design of the sidepods. The problems were not quickly resolved, but this season the SF-24 has paid in terms of potential and consistency. Some weaknesses emerged in the pre-season testing session, sometimes well managed and other times, like in China and Canada, a good compromise was not found. Whether it’s tires or setup settings, fundamentally the car struggles on the soft and works very well on the hard, which means the qualifying session is more critical than the race. In Spain, the SF-24 should return to performing well at its level.
With close battles and small gaps between the teams in qualifying, a few hundredths can determine entry into Q3. This element must be corrected in order to avoid seriously damaging the weekend. The technical office has approved the second aerodynamic package, which will be significantly anticipated in the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the Spanish Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place this weekend at the 4.657-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. In Maranello, the Ferrari technicians and engineers are literally working 24/7 in order to introduce new elements to the SF-24 car in Spain, despite the fact that the initial plan was to introduce this second aerodynamic package in the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. The goal is to equip the SF-24 single-seater with a floor that will have an updated area in order to improve at low speeds.
According to what has been reported by Italian website formu1a.uno, there is a very high possibility that both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have the new specifications available on Friday for the first free practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya, as the Maranello team will most likely run some comparative tests in FP1 to gather as much data as possible in order to optimize the aerodynamic package and be able to exploit its full potential. Additionally, we should see modifications to the rear bodywork, in the tray area and the ramps towards the diffuser, as well as improved small deflector elements. This is an important effort from the entire Ferrari team that should respond to McLaren’s attack and repel Mercedes, who in Canada proved fastest than Ferrari for the first time this season. If all goes well, the goal is to improve aerodynamic efficiency and load quality to try not to ease the pressure on Red Bull and defat at least the RB20 of Sergio Perez, if Max Verstappen once again proves to be unreachable.
As always, the track layout and the characteristics of the Barcelona circuit gives a good verdict on the work done by the teams in terms of evaluating the true performance and the potential of the cars.
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