Is Ferrari ready to throw down the gauntlet to Red Bull (and McLaren)? The SF-24 that ran at Fiorano on last week’s filming day is a red one that has undergone a profound conceptual metamorphosis compared to the car that contested the first six rounds of the season.
Fred Vasseur did not want to anticipate as McLaren did by introducing a package of updates to the MCL38 that allowed Lando Norris to win his first career GP: the French team principal respected the development programs that the staff directed by Enrico Cardile had launched at the beginning of the season.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
The orientation of this red car, as we have already written several times on Motorsport.com, does not derive from a copying of Red Bull as soon as the shapes of the RB20 were discovered, but in Maranello they cannot deny, despite what certain people are saying “singers”, that the evolution of the SF-24 does not benefit from lucid market choices which, before Christmas, brought engineers from Milton Keynes capable of transferring some concepts conceived by Adrian Newey to Ferrari.
There’s nothing wrong with it, actually. The big difference lies in the fact that the solutions introduced are not the result of a banal copy and paste, but there was time to dedicate a study in the tunnel to transfer to a car created with other aerodynamic characteristics, those ideas useful for mitigating the shortcomings of the redhead.
The 200 km traveled on the home track with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz did not reveal any particular problems, confirming that the transplant would have succeeded without any form of rejection. Now it remains to be seen whether this substantial package of innovations will be worth two or three tenths of a second per lap on the Enzo and Dino Ferrari, to find out if it will be enough to return to victory on the Enzo and Dino Ferrari, where the red has not imposed itself since way back in 2006 with Michael Schumacher.
Ferrari SF-24
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
In the drawing of Giorgio Piola the new parts observed in Fiorano are visible: the main ones are eight, but there are also other minor ones (such as the extensions of the mirror support) which are yet to be discovered in detail.
The most impactful aspect is certainly the design of the belly: (1) the radiator mouth no longer has the lower tray as an extension of the cooling system intake, but has adopted the upper visor going in the direction of Red Bull and McLaren.
The target? It is easily visible from Piola’s side drawing which shows a marked increase in air flow towards the bottom, thanks to a (2) significantly more excavated undercut. Not only that but the side offers a larger undercut and a more slender line (2) despite not having changed the position of the radiant packs.
An excellent job of aerodynamic “cleaning” was carried out aimed at reducing drag and, therefore, with the hope of improving top speeds, given that in slow speed the SF-24 is already competitive with Red Bull.
This year, the red had initially maintained an idea by Diego Tondi introduced on the SF-23: the by pass duct, that duct that allowed the flow to be drawn under the mouth of the radiators, to transfer it to the upper part of the belly.
The vertical air intake (3) has remained, but its use has changed: the duct has been converted as on the RB20 to a cooling function, suggesting that in a second evolutionary step the belly mouth may be further reduced.
In fact, on the sides of the Halo, the air vent (4) of the S-duct and what was a flow conveyor to accelerate extraction from the duct have disappeared. Now the… “Cobra” has appeared, a new flap (4) which orients the pattern of the threads differently towards the rear.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
The bottom has also been completely redesigned: obviously we don’t know how the Venturi channels have changed, but it is not difficult to see the important changes that have affected the pavement: in the middle of the side (5) the orientation of the flow diverters that have to push the air past the rear wheel to make the low-pressure area that follows more efficient. There are also some new features in this area: a blowhole (6) has reappeared, just as a double opening has appeared further towards the tail where the extractor begins to rise after the elbow.
Even the bonnet has not been free from changes: the bazooka seems more generous and a noticeable vent of hot air stands out (7) demonstrating a different cooling system, aimed at bringing less air to the rear with the aim of improving the efficiency of the beam wing.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
The effect can be observed by looking at the rear wing (8) which, finally, will have a more relaxed configuration than the one we have seen so far. The increase in downforce, combined with the reduction in drag, should allow Ferrari to correct defects in faster corners.
Imola is certainly not the most suitable track to show certain characteristics, so in Maranello they maintain a very cautious attitude: a great deal of attention has been paid to the red one and there is the fear of disappointing the Prancing Horse fans. Everything will depend on how much the technicians are able to extract from the new package: it is not certain that everything will work the first time and perhaps some fine-tuning work will be necessary. Luckily there won’t be a Sprint Race, but three free practice sessions to find a good set-up…
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