By Carlo Platella
In an increasingly balanced Formula 1, where two tenths can make the difference between the podium and exclusion from the points zone, every single aspect counts. The Ferrari power unit department is aware of this and has developed some improvements for 2024 to gain precious tenths, despite the fact that the project is now frozen at the end-2022 specification. Enrico Gualtieritechnical director of the engine division of the Maranello team.
Reliability changes
“The regulations allow for reliability modificationswhich were our main focus”Gualtieri begins. “It will be a long and challenging season. These components are pushed to their limits and it is our duty to put them in a position to always be exploited to the maximum.” The technical director did not go into detail about the changes made, limiting himself to stating that the interventions affected the main weaknesses that emerged during 2023.
On the eve of the longest championship in history, reliability will be an even more important theme than usual: “The season that is about to begin will have 24 races, two more than last year, but still with 4 units granted for the main components of the power unit”. In 2023 Ferrari was not free from technical problems, such as the breakdowns that caused Leclerc's retirement in Bahrain and Brazil. However, the lack of reliability also cost precious time during the free practice sessions, slowing down the team's development work. “Last year we weren't perfect and we influenced the team's work on the operational side”comments Gualtieri.
Energy Management
In addition to reliability, the Maranello engine department has tried to improve the performance of the power unit: “The regulation does not allow you to work on performance, but it allows you to optimize and extract the maximum potential from the power unit. There is still room to refine the package race after race.” The gain cannot be expressed in the form of an increase in horsepower, but rather in greater energy availability. The thrust of the power unit, in fact, depends on the abundance of electrical energy with which to power the hybrid part, in particular the MGU-K. By working on management software, Cavallino has developed new interaction strategies between the electric motors and the thermal unit, optimizing the battery discharge and recharging phases.
Gualtieri explains: “In terms of energy management, the focus has been on extract every last drop during the overall delivery. In the end, it's about not wasting anything, something we have been working on for a long time. Last year we saw how compact the group was and how even the smallest gain could be important.” Optimizing management is equivalent to refining the energy flows between the various components, depending on the temperatures and demands on the accelerator, strictly dependent on the aerodynamic load, grip and type of track.
For this reason, prior to optimisation, work was done to simulate with greater precision the conditions that the power unit will have to face on each track, in order to improve its set-up. The technical director continues: “It's about predict before the weekend which scenarios we will face. Energy management is nothing other than optimizing power delivery in all conditions in terms of driving style, temperature, asphalt grip and more. We pay more attention to our tools for weekend preparation, as well as being responsive enough during the weekend to optimize the package“.
Looking to 2026
Ferrari has not yet stopped work on perfecting the current unit, but resources will inevitably flow more and more into the project for the next regulatory cycle: “2024 will be a challenging year for the power unit department. The 2026 program it is becoming increasingly present in our development agenda. We are entering a phase where we are going to develop the key components of the powertrain. There are hours allowed for bench testing which are reduced season after season. We will reduce attention to the current engine and divert it to the new power unit”, concludes Gualtieri.
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