Looking back through the calendar to twelve months ago, Ferrari emerged from testing in Bahrain with more doubts than certainties. The hope at the time was that we had managed to fix the limits of the F1-75, thus putting a solid and competitive car on the track right from the start. However, at the end of the three days of testing, the SF-23 still proved to be a work in progress, with a rather unusual program in search of confirmations that could enlighten the engineers on the behavior of a car defined as unpredictable.
A year later, Ferrari presented itself in Sakhir with a completely renewed single-seater, starting from the concept, but it came away with some more certainty and several encouraging signs, starting from the handling aspect. One of the main problems that has limited the SF-23 since the tests was that of the unpredictability of the single-seater, too sensitive to external factors, such as the direction and intensity of the wind due to an aerodynamic map that suffered at certain angles of yaw.
At the launch of the SF-24, Enrico Cardile explained how the project had two key points: on the one hand, having a car that guaranteed a good correlation between simulations in the wind tunnel and on the track, while on the other, developing a single-seater that was simpler to drive to ensure more confidence for drivers.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
From this point of view, the first indications collected in the tests are encouraging, as confirmed both by Team Principal Frederic Vasseur and by those who get into that cockpit: “The car does what it has to do, which wasn't happening at the beginning of the season. 'Last year. I remember that after the first few days I was much more worried, because the car was very, very complicated to drive. This year it's easier, so we're starting from a better base, but there's still work to do. For the moment everything is going according to plan, there have been no unpleasant surprises,” said Leclerc on the last day of testing.
In some ways, the latest addition to Maranello takes up various concepts of the opposing teams, albeit in a more conservative and less extreme way: an understandable approach given that, at the dawn of a new project, you want to start with a solid base that is easy to manage, and then raise the bar during development. Precisely for this reason, the first part of the tests was dedicated above all to aerodynamic measurements and knowledge of the car, but without such extreme settings as in the last season, when the SF-23 had to fight against porpoising due to aggressive setups, so much so hit the depressions heavily in certain sections of the track.
From this point of view, a step forward was also made thanks to the new rear suspension, with which Haas was also satisfied, underlining how it not only allowed the heights from the ground to be managed with greater flexibility on a mechanical level, but also how the complete system guarantees more working space for the diffuser, given the miniaturization of some components inside the gearbox.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
As already anticipated by the Cavallino technical director himself at the presentation, Ferrari did not present itself in Bahrain with any major aerodynamic innovations, following an approach already seen in previous world championships, thus being able to concentrate on maximum understanding of the current package. The first objective was to find confirmations in terms of correlations between the track, the wind tunnel and the simulation systems, also through the many sensors mounted on the car.
A scanning job that understandably took a good part of the first day, while more in-depth set-up tests began on Thursday with repeated programs on the same compound to have similar references, net of the various petrol loads and the increase in temperatures during the course of the morning. In fact, Leclerc opened the second day by riding alone on the C3 on rather very short runs, consisting of an exit lap, a push lap, a passage through the pit lane, a push lap again and a final return to the pits to review the data and make set-up changes. .
The red flag caused by the problem with the manhole in turn 11 slightly changed the plans, delaying the long run programs by almost two hours, thus having to postpone them by almost two hours. Leclerc used the first hour of the afternoon session to start the long stints on the “intermediate” compound of Pirelli's slick range, but had to turn when the asphalt was now almost touching 40°C. It is no coincidence that we saw more marked degradation with a car full of fuel, but also with less stringent mapping compared to the race simulations completed on the last day.
The work then passed into the hands of Sainz in the afternoon, with the Spaniard dividing the program into two different sections: set-up work on C3 and C4, in order to also have some reference on a softer compound with a more unloaded car than could be useful in the rest of the season and can give drivers the opportunity to understand how the car reacts with a tire that guarantees greater grip on a single lap.
| Sainz's race simulation |
||
 5.14pm – C3 |
out – C2 |
out – C1 |
| out/in | 37,278 | 35,586 |
| out (back on track) | 37,319 | 35,768 |
| 36,725 | 37,195 | 35,547 |
| 37,038 | 37,204 | 35,697 |
| 37,712 | 37,355 | 35,398 |
| 37,971 | 37,131 | 35,418 |
| 38,147 | 37,247 | 35,524 |
| 38,093 | 37,493 | 35,262 |
| 38,058 | 37,541 | 35,399 |
| 38,121 | 37,357 | 35,126 |
| 38,182 | 37,393 | 35,282 |
| 38.57 | 37,281 | 35,264 |
| 38,733 | 37,141 | 35,163 |
| 38,671 | 37,298 | 35,175 |
| 38,992 | 37,373 | 34,999 |
| 38,848 | 37.19 | 35,359 |
| 39,126 | 37,495 | 35,808 |
| 37,238 | 35,565 | |
| 35,642 |
In the late afternoon, after 5pm, when the track temperature had dropped below 30°C, Sainz began his race simulation, although it is interesting to mention that Ferrari on the second day lapped with less stringent mappings than those used by his teammate. of jersey on the final day, so much so that there was a difference of several km/h in terms of top speed on the main straight in favor of the Monegasque.
However, there are also other differences between the simulation of the two Cavallino standard bearers: observing Sainz's stint on C3 on the second day, you can see how the Spaniard starts with a very aggressive attack time, unlike Leclerc who has an intro much more linear. The comparison in the second and third stints varies, given that Ferrari decided to reverse the order of the compounds used, but some interesting aspects of comparison can still be noted.
When compared with Leclerc, the times recorded by Sainz seem rather high, especially in the central stint, but there are differences in behavior: the Spaniard was often more careful in the second sector, such as in turn four or in the change of direction six -seven, to push instead into turn twelve, one of the most stressful sections for the tyres, given the loads to which the tire is subjected in a very fast section.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
With the Monegasque we observed the opposite situation, with more pushed central sectors at the expense of greater management in turn twelve. This can also prove useful for understanding how the tires react to different tire saving methods, to which the differences in terms of set-up between the two riders must clearly be added.
On the third day, the roles at the wheel of the SF-24 were reversed, with Sainz first at the wheel: in the morning the focus was on a fixed plan, with five runs of around eight laps each, all on C3 with a good quantity of fuel, to evaluate the car's reactions to certain set-up changes in similar conditions.
After the runs with little fuel also for Leclerc, the last part of the tests was instead dedicated to the race simulation of the Monegasque, although interrupted early due to the tests necessary for the FIA to verify the correct functioning of all the procedures for the activation of the Virtual Safety Car and the red flag. As anticipated, in these last stints much more aggressive mappings were used both with respect to the Red Bull, which always remained rather conservative on the hybrid with evident clipping at the end of the straight, a topic explored in depth in a separate analysis, but also with respect to those used in the previous days. The intention was therefore to deal with a more “real” situation to obtain useful data on tire consumption, the real Achilles' heel of the SF-23.
| Leclerc's race simulation |
||
 5.33pm – C3 |
out – C1 |
out – C2 |
| out/in | 36,393 | 34,785 |
| out | 36,404 | 34,813 |
| 37,137 | 35.88 | 34,956 |
| 37,366 | 36.015 | 35.14 |
| 37,363 | 36,261 | 35.21 |
| 37,476 | 36.016 | 34,993 |
| 37,583 | 36,257 | |
| 37,724 | 36,167 | |
| 37,598 | 36,282 | |
| 37,613 | 36,062 | |
| 37,703 | 36,463 | |
| 38,215 | 36,432 | |
| 37,742 | 36,599 | |
| 38,177 | 36,901 | |
| 38,109 | 36.67 | |
| 38,336 | 37,271 | |
| 38,161 | ||
| 38,458 | ||
| 38.41 | ||
| 38,668 |
Wear proved to be good on the C2, the “intermediate” compound of the Pirelli range, even if the Cavallino chose to make a more linear introduction, without simulating an attempt at undercut, while it proved to be a little more marked on the C3 ( the soft of the race weekend) with a full load of petrol.
More than the performances, an aspect that Leclerc did not want to discuss while waiting for next week, what gives Ferrari confidence are above all the driving characteristics of the new single-seater, which seemed more neutral and with a wider window of setup freedom than to the SF-23. Last season's car, in fact, had such limitations that it had to be driven with a certain style which often did not go well with the Monegasque's preferences, even if on some occasions, also depending on the tracks, it was possible to compensate. The new Red has given positive indications and, according to the riders, this will also guarantee greater flexibility in tire management.
The objective was also to improve in medium speed corners, especially those with rapid changes of direction where a good front is needed, but without penalizing efficiency. The Sakhir track is perhaps not the most suitable to fully evaluate any improvements, given that there will be other tracks that will be able to return a clearer and more significant image. However, the drivers also wanted to underline how the SF-24 seems to be less sensitive to the wind, another weak point of the old single-seater, an element that is never missing in Bahrain.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Vasseur did not want to overstate the value of the new car at the end of the test, but he also underlined an important aspect, namely how a few tenths, depending on the tracks, could make a difference on the order of the grid: “It's very difficult to know, but I think we have made a step forward. Compared to Bahrain last year, at the start of the season, we made a huge step in terms of consistency and degradation. It was already better at the end of the 2023 season. Now it's a question of consistency, but also of pure performance and seeing where qualifying will be, but I believe that at a certain point there will be a sort of convergence of performance between everyone.”
“Every single tenth of a second will be fundamental. And today it's very difficult to know where we are in terms of pure performance on one lap. Because we have no idea what other people's fuel is, and that makes a huge difference in terms of rankings. If you add two or three tenths to someone, you go from second to tenth position,” added the Ferrari Team Principal.
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