Why Ferrari SF-24 aerodynamic update package is not a copy of Red Bull. Why Ferrari SF-24 big first update is not a copy of the Red Bull RB20 car.

With a shift in philosophy towards the sidepod and engine cover bodywork, the SF-24 is poised for a comprehensive transformation as Ferrari aims to exert pressure on Red Bull and counter the threat posed by McLaren’s resurgence following their impressive performance in the Miami Grand Prix. Having initially adopted the underbite sidepod inlet configuration, Ferrari now showcases an overbite design, akin to Red Bull’s approach in the 2024 Formula 1 campaign. However, Ferrari’s solution features a slightly larger horizontal inlet compared to Red Bull’s minimized version.

Simultaneously, the vertical bypass duct adjacent to the chassis has been integrated with the main inlet, creating a unified larger inlet, reminiscent of the setups seen on this year’s Alpine and Mercedes.

As a result, the bypass duct’s outlet beside the rear leg of the halo has been eliminated, prompting a redesign of the winglet in this area, now characterized by a cobra-shaped vane.

While Ferrari could have gradually introduced some of these components in China and Miami, the team is aware of the risks associated with the sprint weekend format and the limited testing opportunities during those events. By choosing to unveil the entire update package at Imola, Ferrari aims for a significant leap forward, allowing ample time for thorough assessment and understanding of its effects.

This strategic decision should position the team favorably for the upcoming phase of the season, assuming there is strong correlation between the real-world performance of these new parts and the predictions made by simulation tools.

It’s pointless to hide it: there was a strong hype surrounding Friday’s testing day at the Fiorano circuit for the Maranello team: it was known that Scuderia Ferrari would bring to the track this week the first expected and important aerodynamic package, designed to officially debut in the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit next week. In this modern Formula 1, it is increasingly rare to see current year cars on track ‘for free’, even more so if we think of a specification still not seen in the current world Championship, like the SF-24 that took to the track on Friday shortly after 9 am on the Fiorano circuit.

Ferrari: the launch spec package has been fully understood, now it’s time for developments

When it was unveiled last February, the SF-24 single-seater did not surprise in terms of the aggressiveness of the technical solutions studied by the engineers in Maranello. However, it was also very clear that it was a conventional car philosophy, but one that made technical sense, namely to fully understand the concept of full downwash in a simpler but not necessarily slower form. It is important to remember, in fact, that the SF-24 is the first car of the Italian team to use this aerodynamic concept, while Red Bull, for comparison, has been using it since the distant first day of these new regulations. The track confirmed that the choices made by the technical office led by Italian aerodynamicist and Technical Director Enrico Cardile were the right ones, even seeing, for example, the rather aggressive choices shown by Aston Martin, which have never fully shone on the track, at least until now.

With the first package of evolutions, Scuderia Ferrari wanted to take a step forward following the normal development of the 2024 Formula 1 project, therefore without any revolution or extreme copying of rivals Red Bull but rather by raising the bar in terms of aggressiveness in development and solutions. After all, the SF-24 is a car that has shown on the track how to go fast and above all how to fight for race victories. Even in the Miami Grand Prix, with a car still devoid of updates, the Italian team managed to fight for the top positions. However, the American circuit showed a clear step forward for McLaren while Red Bull will respond in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit with some novelties and to ensure that the SF-24 keeps up, it is time to install the first aerodynamic package of updates in order to unlock further potential of a car that had somewhat plateaued due to the full understanding of the Launch Spec package, as explained by F1 journalists Piergiuseppe Donadoni and Giuliano Duchessa for formu1a.uno.

Ferrari: the main evolutions between the middle and rear part of the SF-24

The 200 kilometer filming day at the Fiorano circuit finally allowed us to see what we had previously summarized. It is clear that the most important novelties lie between the middle and rear part of the car. Much awaited were especially the new sidepods, particularly the Red Bull-style inlet but, as we had already emphasized, one should not expect them to be a carbon copy of the RB20 single-seater. What emerged was an inlet with the tray moved to the upper part, just like Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s car, but with openings more in the style of Mercedes and especially Alpine. This solution has allowed to increase the lower undercut, albeit maintaining the concept from the beginning of the Formula 1 season and therefore not emphasizing it as in the case of the RB20; this will still allow more air to be brought above the floor, a very important area on which the functioning of the lower part of the floor depends.

The shape of the entire sidepod has also changed, now becoming slightly more squared and with a modified and more tapered lower area to work better with the changes to the floor that the Maranello team brought to the track on the filming day from the first run, modified both in the front part and in the area where the turbulence of the rear tires also needs to be managed. The changes to the engine cover are also clearly evident, adapting to the important innovation we discussed yesterday in a dedicated article, as well as the redesign of the movable flap of the rear wing (hence we considered it a minor update), which now becomes more in line with a solution introduced by rivals Red Bull. Returning to the middle part of the car, changes to the SF-24 are also evident in the wing profile of the side mirror, which now has a more elongated profile, and especially in the wing next to the Halo, which now has a very different shape, more like a cobra, compared to the previous specification.

Essentially, there is a clear attempt to redesign some of the parts in order to increase their overall efficiency above the floor, reducing harmful drag, and towards the important assembly that includes the elements of the rear wing. The floor is the other major novelty that should increase downforce points combined with a fairly widespread aerodynamic restyling of the upper part.