F1 | Ferrari: it’s a question of… the background that has its weight

This F1 is very exciting: there are four teams fighting for each GP separated by a couple of tenths per lap that make the races spectacular, hard-fought and, above all, unpredictable. Ferrari, in the poker of top teams, has not won since the Monaco GP (6 GPs and so far has collected 2 victories), Red Bull since Spain (4 GPs, with 7 successes), McLaren since Austria (3 GPs with two victories) and Mercedes at Spa-Francochamps, the last appointment before the summer break, collected the third laurel.

McLaren is unanimously considered the most competitive single-seater: the MCL38 is considered the “universal” car, that is, the car that adapts more than any other to the different characteristics of the tracks and with fewer modifications than others.

It is interesting to note that the Scuderia brought a development to Spain that should have filled the gap with Red Bull and McLaren and, instead, thanks to the return of “porpoising” the SF-24 entered into crisis, so much so that at Silverstone it had returned to the “old” floor, rejecting the innovations.

Red Bull RB20: Here’s Belgium’s Bazooka Version

Picture of: George Piola

Red Bull RB20: here is the Hungarian version with the more profiled engine cover

Picture of: George Piola

Something similar happened to Red Bull, who in Hungary presented an RB20 with an aerodynamic design without a bazooka and with an engine cover that was very close to the bodywork in an attempt to improve cooling and increase downforce, without obtaining the desired results, so much so that in Belgium they returned to the usual solution, saying that in Milton Keynes they have two developments that can be used depending on the type of circuit.

the new floor of the Mercedes W15 at the Belgian GP

Picture of: George Piola

Mercedes W15: the bottom proposed again at Spa after the rejection of the new one

Picture of: George Piola

And finally, Mercedes introduced a new floor in the free practice sessions of the Belgian GP: on paper it was supposed to provide more aerodynamic load, but without adequate work on understanding and fine-tuning it resulted in harmful “bouncing”, so much so that the solution on Saturday morning was rejected in favor of the standard version. The W15, which did not seem competitive in the Ardennes, with the… step back became the car that achieved a peremptory one-two on Sunday (then the winner George Russell was removed from the standings because the black and silver arrow was 1.5 kg underweight).

Experience teaches that with ground effect single-seaters they follow a development that is not linear, and it is curious to note that the McLaren is the car considered the most competitive, despite being the F1 with the least interventions that are not for adaptation to the track. The race for development this year must be considered.

Since the gap between the cars is very narrow, bringing an update that can give a tenth or two on the lap time in the wind tunnel and then makes the car less driveable and, therefore, less performing risks being a mistake. We are experiencing a curious stop-and-go season in developments.

Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Erik Junius

Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, has a clear picture of the Scuderia’s situation…
“For now, if we compare it to twelve months ago, we have made a good step forward. Also, we have four teams that are now fighting for podiums and wins, which is good for the championship. Everything is open for the second part of the season, because even a small step forward of one or two tenths can make a big difference.”

The example of Ferrari is illustrative: the new floor of the red, which was rejected at Silverstone, was re-proposed in Hungary with a series of reinforcements that limited the bouncing in the fast sections. The Hungarian track, with a low average speed, did not have many points where the harmful “bouncing” occurred. The situation was very different for Spa-Francorcamps where there were long straights (Sainz touched 349.1 km/h at the Kemmel braking point) and fast corners where the phenomenon could manifest itself.

The bottom of the Ferrari SF-24 at the Hungarian GP

Picture of: George Piola

The surface has been further strengthened and the “porpoising” has been seen, but in a less invasive way than in Great Britain. The technicians, therefore, have understood what the path to take must be to make the red car drivable for the drivers and respectful of the tyres.

And, then, it is clear how fundamental it is to put the driver in the condition of having the feeling and full confidence in the car. Fabio Montecchi’s department, to reinforce the bottom that was flexing, used more material that costs weight. But in the search for performance you have to look for strange compromises.

Ferrari has reverted to 2023 brakes to give Leclerc more confidence in braking

Picture of: George Piola

Charles Leclerc has often complained this year about braking that doesn’t have the bite that the Monegasque would like when attacking the apex of the curve, sometimes recording differences in temperature between the two front corners. On the SF-24 this year, Ferrari has mounted the new Brembo calipers that on the front train are worth over 300 grams of lightening on the unsprung masses.

No team that adopted them had any problems, benefiting from the weight reduction with the same stiffness, while the Scuderia, to satisfy its driver, chose to take a step back, reintroducing the material from the previous year, also combined with the ducts and intakes of 2023. An operation that does not concern the supplier, but which also produced an inevitable increase in weight of the red car.

If we look at Russell’s Mercedes, which in Belgium ended up under the minimum weight limit (798 kg with the driver) by 1.5 kg, it becomes clear how in F1 there is an exasperated search for the lightening of individual parts to find performance: 10 kg, badly counted, are worth three tenths per lap, that is, the effect of two aerodynamic updates!

Despite this axiom, Ferrari is playing a game that might seem antithetical: to put Leclerc in the condition to give his best again in extracting the potential from the SF-24, the technicians have not hesitated to concede something on the weight. The two tenths that the driver can put in are worth much more than the hundredths that are left on the road due to the increase in mass of the car. And perhaps there are those who work on other parts of the car to make the red one slimmer to reach the limit, in a game that seems endless…