Ferrari managed to bring its latest developments to the Spanish Grand Prix, as the team attempts to bounce back from its difficulties in Canada. Even before these were officially confirmed in the document sent by the FIA before the first free tests, the modifications made to the sidepods, the “Cobra” fins along the cockpit and the rear wing were already visually noticed .
The changes come just a fortnight after Ferrari’s hopes of fully relaunching itself in the championship race took a hit following a poor performance in Canada, which ended in a double retirement.
As for the pontoon modifications for Spain, it appears the team did most of their work by reshaping the bottom and belt afterwards, with more space between them and the surface upper part of the floor.
This will likely improve the SF-24’s intrinsic performance, but the team will also have a platform to build on when a new floorpan under development arrives in a few races.
Comparison of the Ferrari SF-24 “Cobra” fins
The “Cobra” fins located next to the cockpit have also been optimized as part of these developments. They are now much higher than before and extend around the rear leg of the Halo, which allows the horizontal section of the upper flap to be repositioned and therefore adjust the trajectory of the airflow and the vortices that result from it. .
Ferrari has also added a high/medium downforce rear wing to its bag, seeking to find the right balance between the specifications already seen at Monaco and Imola. The main plane and the design of the upper flap are in fact halfway between the high downforce variant used in Monte-Carlo and the medium downforce variant used in Emilia-Romagna.
However, while it is clear that these elements make it possible to guarantee an adequate level of downforce, they will also have an impact on the performance of the DRS, when it is in operation.
Rear of the Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
In addition, the shape of the main plane and the radius of the end plate continued to evolve, which also corresponds to the changes made to the end section, the position of the outer flap support and the cutout of the end plate.
Details of the Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
