The Red Bull RB20 is the dominator of this start of the F1 world championship. Adrian Newey's creation has indicated a new path in the development of ground effect single-seaters, since the previous RB19, after having won 21 GPs of the 22 held last year, had reached, according to the Milton Keynes technicians, what was the limit of development.
It is for this reason that people in the paddock are saying that Red Bull is the car with the greatest potential for growth: Newey has taken some concepts to the extreme in the cooling system to open up development opportunities in the aerodynamic field. The impact was that the RB20 suddenly made the other F1s “age”, giving the sensation that they were the children of an older generation.
If this were the case, Max Verstappen could be awarded the next two world championships (2024 and 2025) since the current cars will be seen, only modified, also in the next season. The analysis may be correct, but it is too drastic. Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, remains optimistic: the French manager is convinced that the Cavallino team can close the gap to the RB20 with developments.
Comparison between the Ferrari SF-23 and the SF-24
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
The SF-24 is also a completely new car and it is not fair to say that the red one cannot have the capacity to grow over the course of the season. The Ferrari has a very different layout from the SF-23, although the position of the cockpit has not changed: The chassis is entirely new: in addition to being approximately 50 mm longer behind the driver, it is also narrower, allowing for savings of weight compared to last year's car.
Ferrari SF-24: here is a glimpse of the 066/10 power unit
Photo by: Uncredited
The 066/10 engine was moved back and the gearbox shortened in search of a car with more sincere reactions and, therefore, easier for drivers to drive at the limit. The SF-24 responds to the changes by confirming that it was born “healthy”, but there is no doubt that the red team's season started a step below the Red Bull: “In qualifying they have perhaps two or three tenths of an advantage over us – explained Vasseur -, and in the race a little more. But it's difficult to make an estimate because we don't know if they were pushing to the maximum. The positive feeling: if we manage to make a step, we can put a bit of pressure on them.”
Ferrari SF-24: here is the loaded rear wing of the Saudi Arabian GP, ​​it was the same as the one in Bahrain
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
In Jeddah, Ferrari was the only one of the top teams to field its car with a loaded rear wing (the same as in Bahrain), while its opponents had bet on a less resistant solution more useful for seeking good top speeds.
The SF-24 in Saudi Arabia struggled to extract the potential of the red: the drivers complained about not getting the tires up to temperature on a track with smooth asphalt, with little wear, but very grippy.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
According to the analysis of the Pirelli technicians in Jeddah, it was important to look for mechanical grip, while the Maranello technicians tried to compensate for the inability to put the tires in the right operating window with an increase in wing loading. On Sunday the red was unable to transfer the necessary energy to the tires to extract the maximum potential from them.
Is this a sign that the SF-24 lacks downforce compared only to Red Bull, while it is decidedly more competitive than all the others? The answer is certainly yes, but if we take Pirelli's interpretation into account, we must also take a look at the rear suspension. Even in this area, Ferrari has changed a lot compared to last year, although the scheme has remained the pull rod one, renounced by everyone except its cousin Haas.
Ferrari SF-24: the pull rod rear suspension with the lever pivoted at mid-height
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
With the new transmission, the suspension has been completely redesigned: the upper arm has been raised above the gearbox and also the tie rod is no longer very inclined forward, but remains inside the two arms which simulate a triangle, but they actually have hub carrier mounts that are multi-link.
The tie rod on the SF-23 was very long and reached the floor of the gearbox, while now it is decidedly shorter because it stops halfway up the box, a sign that Enrico Cardile's staff tried to maintain the advantage of the lower weights compared to the push rod scheme, despite having freed the lower area in favor of aerodynamics.
In a let's say more traditional concept, Ferrari has taken its concepts to the extreme and, almost certainly, has not yet found the ideal setup of the rear axle which however has ample margin for development.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Vasseur's words take shape according to which “Performance comes from everywhere and don't think of a single component that makes you gain five tenths on the car. If we want to catch up, we must improve in every single area. So far we have made a step decent, but we have to keep pushing in every area of ​​the car.”
“Aerodynamics are certainly fundamental. We have some updates in the pipeline, but I'm sure everyone is preparing them. The important thing is to bring updates that make the car grow.”
The game, therefore, seems clear: Ferrari today suffers the supremacy of Red Bull, so much so that Sergio Perez manages to stay ahead of Charles Leclerc, but at the Gestion Sportiva they are trying to accelerate the arrival of the first development package which will concern the 'aerodynamics, but also the rear suspension…
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