What happened to the SF-24
Victory in peace of mind Max Verstappen It's certainly no longer news, even though it should, given the particular trackL'smooth asphalt and bituminous, the Freddo and the weekend from new format. All variables that did not affect the Dutch Champion and the Red Bull team in the slightest. Indeed, if possible, they have some the gap was exalted compared to the group, with the most dominant RedBull seen so faralthough, it should be underlined, at the same time with the biggest performance gap between Verstappen and Perez of the year.
The impression is that when the conditions become much more complicated to manage, for example with the high degradation seen on the track and the need to manage tires and temperatures with extreme attention, Verstappen emerges even more than usual, while Perez begins to perform decisively more effort, becoming approachable by the rest of the group, in this case beaten by a truly amazing Lando Norris. This is why Verstappen's solo dominance must be underlined, because part of the gap comes from the driver phenomenal driving car number 1.
Norris competes with Leclerc
Behind Verstappen comes Lando Norris, who, in fact, does exactly the race that was expected from Ferrari and in particular from Leclerc at a certain point given the positions on the track and the game of strategies. Second ahead of a Red Bull and both Ferraris, the McLaren was without a shadow of a doubt the second force on the track in Shanghai, a track that it considered decidedly an enemy on the eve and where instead it found an excellent squaring of the circle, “clinging” to thehigh load and at fast corners to find the performance.
We have in fact checked with the average telemetry and throughout the race Norris's strong point compared to Ferrari was in his fast and medium-fast cornerswhere the MCL38 evidently limited sliding and managed temperatures well, finding that perfect balance on the pace that we know in Formula 1 has an effect multiplier on performance and of which Norris is often a master. The young Briton definitely has some problems with highlight moments, but when it comes to hammer on the pitch keeping the car “alive” in terms of temperatures and tire management is one of the best and it showed well in China.
Ferrari: cold and lack of adhesive grip
So arriving at the race and the entire weekend of Ferrari it's clear that something didn't work. The first thing we noticed and would like to underline is a sin of presumption of the Maranello team, with Leclerc who after qualifying said he had made some set-up choices more aimed at the race, convinced that Alonso and the McLarens would not have been ahead of the reds anyway. The Monegasque was also said extremely confident in his race pace, and felt confident that he could aspire to the podium, giving the impression that from the simulations the Woking cars should not have posed a problem. This was not the case on the flying lap, nor in the race, where Norris found the place on the podium that Leclerc himself had hoped for with such confidence on the eve. It's obvious difficulty “starting” the tires for the SF24, which evidently discharges little energy onto the tyres to contain wear and tear at all costs. The car's response is somewhat correct, given that Leclerc was also on his way to Shanghai a one stop strategy regardless of the entry of the Safety Car, but the initial phases of the stints are dramatic and, with the low temperatures in which it was raced, it becomes almost a challenge to bring the hard compound within the ideal operating range. Furthermore, the smooth asphalt he doesn't seem to be an ally of the red one, who with the little energy discharged on the tires seems unable to trigger the so-called adhesive grip when it is available, so for the soft compounds in qualifying and on smooth asphalt in the race. We leave the details on the topic to a later discussion, but to briefly clarify tires produce grip in two ways. The most relevant percentage is adherence from hysteresis, which is generated when the tire sliding sideways on the asphalt encounters its roughness and generates an asymmetric force that counteracts slipping (due to hundreds of small hysteresis points on the surface of the tire). The other grip, that one adhesiveoccurs when they are formed molecular bonds between the rubber and the asphalt itself. Obviously, the greater the contact surface, the more easily the adhesive grip is formed, so this component is greater on very smooth asphalt or with very soft tires that copy the roughness of the road surface to a greater extent. Although it is not the most relevant component, it is still a factor that makes the difference, and the impression is that the SF24 almost never manages to generate a high level of this type of additional grip, especially in conditions such as those of the race Chinese, with smooth asphalt which lowers grip due to hysteresis, and the cold combined with hard rubber which they need energy For trigger the adhesive one.
The growth curve is flattening
Clearly also from an aerodynamic point of view after a positive debut, the vertical load needs to increase. The package brought by RedBull to Suzuka showed the first tangible signs of growth in Shanghai, with Verstappen's gap line in race pace conditions growing “in steps” at each corner, while remaining constant in the sprint. The RB20 therefore seems to have made an efficient load step compared to the competition, and this is certainly what the SF24 also needs. The other factor that gives the impression that the car is now “hungry” for updates is that the growth and learning curve seems to be flattening. The preparation work for the qualifying lap seemed to have already improved significantly and it seems that in many respects the car in this configuration is starting to reach its limits, triggering the inevitable need to move these limits further, and to start again with the work to try to catch them on the track again.
This time Vasseur's words on the race were disappointing
On the updates, the red team's TP did not mince words to Sky's microphones after the race, saying that in the factory everyone works like crazy and you can't ask for more, and from what Sainz said the update package is in the works it was delayed to maximize its gain, so it seems there is a lot cooking at GeS and the choice will only be evaluated when we can measure the contribution that these updates will bring to performance. As regards the analysis of the race, however, in this case we do not find the words of Vasseur acceptable, who stated that the main problem was the qualification, given that a start from the front row wasn't that out of the question given the performances and that the race was compromised by starting so far back. If this may be in any way true for Sainz, it is not for Leclercwhich, taking advantage of the Safety Car that for once came at the right time, it was found thirdto start again in the exhausts of Norris and Verstappen with the same tires and with 25 laps to go, so with the effects of qualifying totally cancelled. But the Monegasque reached the finish line with 23 seconds behind Verstappen and 10 behind Norristo underline that with the hard tire there was no pace, regardless of qualifying and any external factor.
In Miami for a different response, in Imola to see the updates
In any case, if the SF24 wasn't a car ready for the world championship after Australia, it shouldn't be scrapped after China. In Miami the temperatures they should be finally higher (after this first part of the season always run in cool conditions) and the slow curves of the central sector could provide completely different feedback, and a strong Ferrari on the American track would confirm the strengths and weaknesses of the current version of the SF24, with the large package of updates arriving at Imola, in the following race to verify the quality of the work done. Leclerc made it clear after the race that the package of updates it will be the one that will reveal Ferrari's potential objectives for 2024. We will therefore see if the red in Miami will be to be recovered and what potential the SF24 project can reach.
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