Following the first two Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, every team has begun the process of getting to know their vehicles, but very few have finished.
With the apparent exception of Red Bull, of course, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s vehicles are the only ones that have demonstrated a steady development from the 2023 technology, and Ferrari has emerged as second quickest behind Red Bull, with a deficit of almost four tenths of a second per lap.
While the SF23 had shown to be an architecturally constrained project, the present car is built on a different idea, beginning with a redesigned chassis, therefore this cannot be argued.
Although not as drastic, the cooling system packaging and power unit accessories differ from the 2023 car as well. However, the team was able to achieve a different aerodynamic load distribution, resulting in a strong and stable aerodynamic center of pressure and balance, because of the evolution of volumes and shapes.
Even the suspension, which still has a push rod in the front and a pull rod in the back, has had some fine-tuning done to its geometries and kinematics. This solid and useful platform helps to realize the improved aerodynamic idea.
The weaker parts of the SF24 that require correction were found alongside its good qualities, particularly in Saudi Arabia, along with the advancements required to close the gap with the RB20.
SF-24 upgrades
While the car’s exceptional balance was visible in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the SF-24 was sluggish to bring its tires up to the optimal operating temperature. At the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, it took two entire circuits to reach the ideal thermal window.
This suggests that the car’s total downforce, particularly in that configuration, was insufficient to impart enough energy on the tires. The Maranello engineers quickly realized this and changed the main shape of the rear wing to something flatter.
Following the discovery of the floor’s lack of downforce, Ferrari hopes to address the issues with upcoming updates.
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