By Carlo Platella
With the exception of Williams, Ferrari remained the only one to focus on the pull-rod scheme for the rear suspension, consequently influencing the Haas customer team. The presentation of the SF-24 had aroused a certain skepticism in the audience, surprised not to see the Red one conforming to the push-rod suspension now dominant on the grid, considered better in terms of aerodynamic interaction with the slide bellies. In continuing with the tie rod suspension, however, Ferrari did not limit itself to using the pull-rod of past seasons, rather developing a new concept. What initially appeared to be a conservative choice now turns out to be a step forward compared to the past, also noticed by the Haas customer team.
Tighter gear shift
The Italian-American team purchases both the front and rear suspension from Ferrari, as well as the gearbox around which it is built. Interviewed by the newspaper Racecar Engineeringthe new technical director of Haas Andrea De Zordo spoke about the new rear end developed in Maranello: “It's much narrower at the bottom. It gives you pMore freedom in speaker design. It's also better for all the aerodynamic appendages around the brake ducts.”
From the outside you can see how much the suspension rod has been moved back compared to 2023, indicating a different housing of the internal spring-shock absorber group, as well as a different aerodynamic interaction with the flows collected by the slide bellies. According to De Zordo, however, the most important change is hidden in the lower part of the car. The transmission has been further taperedoffering the team greater freedom to shape the ramp of the diffuser, thus guaranteeing direct aerodynamic benefits even from the bottom.
The rearrangement of the external arms also defines a different kinematics of the suspension, but not only that. By moving the attachment points to the wheel side, the aerodynamics of the flaps and deflectors anchored to the brake cooling ducts benefits. In addition to increasing the local aerodynamic load, the change improves the management of local vortices, exploited to enhance the performance of the diffuser, once again rewarding the aerodynamics of the solo.
Optimal compromise
According to De Zordo, the new Ferrari rear end ensures aerodynamic advantages without sacrificing the kinematics of the suspension, i.e. the purely mechanical behaviour. “The way it works mechanically, takes more into account the behavior of the suspension”explains the technical director. “You can get something more from the aerodynamics, but at the same time also from the mechanics. It's all good I accept”.
On the occasion of the presentation of the SF-24, Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile explained how updating the pull-rod scheme compared to a push-rod suspension would ensure better overall balance between aerodynamics and mechanics: “We have seen good aerodynamic results by moving in this direction. By switching from the pull-rod to the push-rod, however, we did not see any advantages that would justify the compromise in terms of weight and compliance”.
In addition to the external innovations, the layout of the internal spring-shock absorbers group has also changed on Ferrari and Haas, completing a thorough renovation. “The mechanics of the rear suspension are located differently inside the transmission box,” Cardile's words. “It's a new conceptfor us it is an innovation, because it is a different way of managing the suspension compared to what has been done in the past”.
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