F1, Ferrari: Loic Serra will be Technical Director like Red Bull's Pierre Wache
08/14/2024 03:53 AM
Scuderia Ferrari has competed in 14 races of the 2024 Formula 1 championship with an average of 24.64 points per event, about 6 points more per event than last year. Despite ups and downs since the start of the season at the Bahrain International Circuit, in the constructors’ championship, the Italian side will arrive at the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands after the summer break not far behind Red Bull with 29.14 points per race, closely followed by McLaren with 26.14. However, the races immediately after Zandvoort will determine whether Ferrari can return to scoring big points to stay close to the leaders and fend off Mercedes. The trend of recent performances after Charles Leclerc splendid victory in the Monaco Grand Prix has forced the Maranello team to always be on the defensive, managing the misstep in terms of SF-24 development.
The first corrections arrived very quickly, but they couldn’t solve the problem. The floor used at Spa-Francorchamps was a mix of the best parts already known and optimized in the keel extraction area to reduce the peak downforce at high speeds. Some areas of the new floor specification have already been revised and could appear for the Italian Grand Prix, where the SF-24 will feature very low-drag wings in the now classic ‘Monza specification’. The corrected version of the floor simply aims to stabilize the platform to improve drivability and use the untapped potential of the SF-24 while the fight for the top positions remains tight.
For Ferrari, more data from the wind tunnel and simulations is expected as Formula 1 activities will resume on the Monday before the Dutch Grand Prix. In Maranello, an update for the wind tunnel is almost ready, which will provide more data on lateral flow and the front end, for example, on the effects of deformation of the front tire profiles. It is no coincidence that the most delicate part to change on these cars is said to be the design of the front wing.
Now let’s also focus on the technical reorganization aspect, as Ferrari will announce the new technical office structure after activities resume.
Mike Elliott is currently the senior figure available on the market, but the former Mercedes Technical Director was not on Ferrari’s radar, and we can exclude any interest from Frderic Vasseur. Loic Serra will therefore be called to play his cards as Technical Director and head of chassis, while Diego Tondi has already been effectively covering the role of head of aerodynamics for months after refusing to follow Italian aerodynamicist and former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile to Aston Martin. Interestingly, Loic Serra’s arrival in a Technical Director role will complete the circle of a career parallel to that of Pierre Waché, Ferrari’s first and unattainable dream alongside Adrian Newey, as explained by F1 expert Paolo D'Alessandro for formu1a.uno/it/ferrari-vassuer-da-fiducia-a-cardile-e-lavora-per-migliorare-il-reparto-tecnico/
Former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto was the one who tried first to bring him to Maranello, and Frederic Vasseur himself later had a simmilar attempt, but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did everything to keep him at the Austrian side with more than one quick contract renewal. The two French engineers – Waché and Serra – are close friends and have shared an almost identical career path: first Michelin, then BMW Sauber, before separating to join Red Bull and Mercedes, initially in a similar role related to vehicle dynamics.
At Mercedes, Loic Serra was overshadowed first by James Allison and then by Mike Elliott, and finally again by the former Ferrari engineer. Loic Serra mainly deals with suspensions, chassis, and tires, while at Red Bull, under the guidance of Adrian Newey, Pierre Waché also grew as an aerodynamicist, eventually taking on the role of Technical Director. Ferrari offered Loic Serra the opportunity to have a broader scope than he had at Mercedes, allowing him to take on a role similar to that of his friend Waché, albeit within a slightly different organizational structure. Frederic Vasseur’s team will be more similar to what is seen at McLaren, with a trio of Technical Directors responsible for chassis, aerodynamics, and vehicle.
The working group at the top of the Maranello technical office consists of seven people in total, who internally refer to themselves as the ‘7 Bello.’ This is the group that meets whenever an important technical decision needs to be made.
As of today, with Loic Serra’s addition to the well-known duo of Diego Tondi – Fabio Montecchi, with a Ferrari organizational chart that has changed a lot recently, with much turnover and many external technicians arriving in Maranello. Meanwhile, for the 2025 car, it’s time for the first definitive decisions: it will have a revised wheelbase for a more forward center of pressure combined with new Pull Rod suspensions. This is something that aims to better suit driving styles and preferences that are not so different between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, which will inevitably be much more similar than the current ones.
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