F1 | Ferrari does not copy Red Bull: the 676 will have the “by-pass duct”

The Ferrari 676 will not be a copy of the Red Bull RB19, even if the engineers directed by Enrico Cardile have made no secret of following some concepts proposed by Adrian Newey, in what is now a convergence in technical choices that go in the direction of solutions that they give more performance.

The aerodynamic trend that goes in the direction of the sloping Red Bull bellies will be developed by everyone: Ferrari has put aside the “fish tank” in the upper part of the bellies, just as Mercedes has repudiated the black “zero pods” arrow that 'He caused trouble for two years.

What will the red one they will show us on February 13th in Fiorano look like? There is a lot of curiosity because it will be the first real single-seater under Fred Vasseur's management and there is a lot of anticipation, even if no one from Maranello dares to make amazing predictions, after last year's Scottish shower, when after a presentation from… world championship, followed by the bitter disappointment of an uncompetitive SF-23 already in the first laps on the track.

We are dealing with a Ferrari with its feet firmly on the ground, realistic, aware of its potential, but uncertain as to where Milton Keynes, Pierre Waché and co. could have arrived by interpreting Newey's ideas. The 676, cleansed of the errors of the SF-23, should represent a good step forward, but it is difficult to predict today where it could go. The objective is certainly to win more than just the GP that Carlos Sainz took away from the world champion team in Singapore.

The identikit of the red begins to define the character of the new single-seater: new chassis with different suspension attachments (but with the same front push and rear pull scheme) and, above all, the movement down to the bottom of the lower anti-intrusion cone. The front section of the body should not be squared in the lower part, but should introduce a sort of keel to increase the air flow towards the Venturi channels.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Ferrari SF-23, detail of the gearbox which will be completely redesigned on the 676

The gearbox will be included in a new transmission case that is slightly shorter and significantly narrower (20 mm on each side) to have a larger diffuser, capable of generating more downforce with the car body, perhaps being able to reduce the incidence of the wings .

But an element that confirms the freedom of thought of the Cavallino aerodynamicists, led by Diego Tondi, will be the confirmation of the “by-pass duct”, the passage of air that moves the flow above the belly which is channeled into the vertical intake adhering to the frame, from the bottom to the radiator mouth.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Ferrari F2008: the “hole in the nose” studied by Aldo Costa appeared in the 2008 Spanish GP

The idea is to all intents and purposes “by Maranello” since the original dates back to 2008 when Aldo Costa, under the technical direction of Mario Almondo, introduced the “hole in the nose”, i.e. a large blowing which, thanks to an S-shaped duct, it brought the flow to the upper part of the chassis, accelerating the flows arriving from the front of the single-seater. The FIA ​​blocked this idea the following year, but the concept was then metabolized and copied by everyone with the “letterbox” that had set the tone.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Ferrari SF-23, S-duct detail

Why do we dare to say that Ferrari pursues its own aerodynamic concept? The reason is simple: Newey's idea is to bring as much air as possible to the bottom, exploiting an extreme undercut in the shapes of the side, while Tondi & co fish the flow grazing the body and with a… periscope bring it above the belly . The goal is to achieve the same result, more aerodynamic efficiency, but with different solutions.

Last year none of the opponents dared to copy the “by-pass duct”, but in Maranello they also promoted this solution on the 2024 car, a sign that some advantages can be seen in the wind tunnel. Let's wait for February 13th…