What we are experiencing in this first half of 2024 is a less obvious than expected F1 World Championship. The technical work carried out by Ferrari on the 676 project is bearing fruit, and together with McLaren it seems that the races will no longer be a walk “with your arm out the window” for Verstappen and Red Bull. After the triumphal march of Ferrari driver Leclerc on the prestigious stage of Monte Carlo, a city with unique characteristics on the calendar, the SF-24 2.0 is called to the second important test bed in Canada after Imola. “Let’s not draw too many conclusions from this weekend” Frederic Vassuer himself was keen to underline this immediately after the first celebrations in Munich.
Ferrari in Montreal to confirm that the 2.0 package has also improved efficiency
Why will the Montreal track be a litmus test for the SF-24 2.0? Imola was the first real shakedown of the Ferrari innovated by the heavy update, and, from what we know, Ferrari had partly underperformed due to a less than optimal setup. Initial feedback has been positive regarding the updates, and we talked about it. Monaco is a story in itself, and the red car, due to its characteristics, would have gone very well even without the updates. Canada is an important test to understand if the red, in addition to having increased the aerodynamic load, has also improved in efficiency. The compromise sought on the 2024 car sacrificed part of the straight-line and flying lap speed qualities that characterized the old SF-23. To go fast in Canada it will be necessary to have an excellent compromise with regards to straight line speeds, a point in which the red has seemed to be more lacking compared to Red Bull and McLaren since the beginning of the year. The MCL38 has made important steps forward in that sense, gaining a few km/h on a straight line without having to resort to other compromises. A question mark also remains whether Max Verstappen and his RB20 will be able to dictate the law again or whether the definitive trend will be what we have seen in the last three races.
No news in Montreal: the medium-load rear wing is back. The Imola package cost 25% of the development budget
Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren go to Montreal to fight for victory, aware of the fact that with small gaps, race weekends will often be played out in detail. In Canada there will be no new parts on the SF-24 2.0, which will return in the medium load guise with the versatile rear wing that we saw in the first 6 Grands Prix, and in an updated shape at Imola. The load level at the rear will be much more manageable with the beam-wing, which should be compared in the two “gull wing” and single element configurations. From what we know, the “round 07” package was worth a fair amount within the budget cap, which would amount to approximately a quarter of the budget to be allocated to “in season” updates. A figure that is overall in line with the financial programs established at the beginning of the year. The development between now and the autumn will concern “slimming performance” from the development paths dependent on it. On the red there will be no significant updates until Great Britain, the second stage after Imola where we will receive aerodynamic innovations for the whole circus.
Comparison of the rear wings of the Ferrari SF-24 – Illustration Rosario Giuliana
At Silverstone an SF-24 “2.1” for another step forward
We have talked far and wide about how they worked in Maranello, approaching the development of the car towards a change of skin starting from Imola. Race number 7 is, and will be, the biggest package of the year. Silverstone is the pre-established stage to see the second evolutionary step, with an SF-24 which can be called “2.1” for continuity of nomenclature. This gives the idea that, from Imola onwards, the updates will depend on the concept introduced in Emilia Romagna. Given the state of things, it remains unlikely that Ferrari will decide to force and bring forward the changes, for example in Austria, a weekend which will be influenced by the Sprint. The new prices that will be introduced in Great Britain are aimed at taking the red car a further step by widening the operating window, making the car more competitive in different layout and temperature conditions. The decision on the final choices is being decided right now, taking advantage of what the data said in Imola and what it will then say in Canada, in addition to the continuous wind tunnel tests.
