As we announced to you yesterday, Ferrari is this Thursday and Friday on its Fiorano circuit for a promotional driving session. If it is intended to allow the Scuderia to showcase the new features which will be installed on the SF-24 near Imola next week, as well as for advertising shots a few days after the conclusion of an agreement title sponsorship with HP, this session also sees the Italian team testing a new version of the mudguards that the FIA wishes to eventually introduce in F1.
A first iteration of this element, intended to limit water splashes from Formula 1 tires to ensure better visibility and safety conditions in the event of rain, was tested without much success last year at Silverstone by Mercedes. . No images of this running had been published, but the FIA had offered a preview of the device via 3D renderings.
The federation has since worked on a second version, much more aggressive, which was tested at Fiorano this morning by Ferrari. Photos from this session showed that a 2022 F1-75 driven by Arthur Leclerc, Charles’ brother, had been equipped with a system covering almost the entire upper three-quarters of the front and rear wheels, while leaving two openings at the front of the tires.
While Leclerc used this device, Oliver Bearman followed him behind the wheel of the SF-24 in order to see the visibility and be able to provide feedback to his team and the FIA.
