Ferrari must optimize SF24 floor downforce at Lusail circuit | F1 Qatar GP 2024 tech preview
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Scuderia Ferrari has moved past Las Vegas and is focusing on Qatar, the 23rd round of the 2024 Formula 1 season. It will be an atypical weekend because, as for the sixth and final time this season, the Sprint Race format will make an appearance. The opportunity to collect a larger number of points will be crucial. The Italian side must reverse its poor track record with this format, a competitive scenario where it has struggled to optimize performance with only one free practice session. Preparation at the factory is key to arriving at the track competitive from the start.
Achieving this means carrying an advantage throughout the weekend. Failing to do so, on the other hand, could create significant problems, forcing the Maranello team to chase performance all weekend long. The Italian team is also dealing with slight turmoil following last Sunday's incident between the drivers. The relationship between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz now seems strained. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur held a meeting in recent days to calm tensions and explain, with data in hand, what happened. The aim was to restore the necessary harmony within the team.
This is critical because the constructors’ championship is still within reach. Ferrari is 24 points away from the top. Fighting until the end of the season is an obligation, even for the fans. The toughest challenge will undoubtedly be Losail, a circuit that favors McLaren thanks to their car’s characteristics better suited to this type of track. However, this does not mean Ferrari cannot perform well and capitalize on potential missteps from the frontrunners. Without further ado, let's analyze the SF-24 in its Qatar configuration.
The Qatar Grand Prix presents itself as a very interesting and technically challenging task for Ferrari. The historic Italian team must tackle a circuit with significantly different characteristics from the recent Las Vegas event, where they failed to secure the points needed to surpass McLaren in the constructors’ standings. The Qatari track, with its layout characterized by medium and high-speed corners, demands a technical approach focused on maximizing aerodynamic load and car stability.
The track surface, with its combination of particularly harsh micro and macro roughness, significantly impacts both grip and tire degradation. This makes the setup choices for the F1 cars a key factor in determining success on the track. Compared to the Nevada circuit, Ferrari arrives in Arabia with more restrained hopes and confidence. Last weekend, the team managed to find a setup that allowed the car to operate within a good performance window. This, however, exposed inefficiencies in tire management compared to Mercedes.
Despite almost equivalent pure performance, the configuration of the Brackley team proved slightly superior, allowing the German squad to take a more effective approach to tire management. In Qatar, however, the challenges will be entirely different. The circuit demands medium-high aerodynamic loads, where generating downforce through the car's floor will undoubtedly be the determining factor. Last season, Ferrari struggled with a certain weakness in producing stable vertical load through the floor of its F1 car.
Alongside the usual simulator analysis to develop the car’s setup, the Maranello team opted for a slightly low-drag aerodynamic configuration. This choice heavily penalized the overall balance of the SF-23. The decision, intended to recover lap time on the track’s short straights, also proved detrimental for tire management. This year, thanks to a thorough reshaping of the keel's terminal area and the diffuser's kick line, Ferrari has improved flow stability and made the floor more efficient, even with variations in ride height.
This development has enabled the Italian car to generate more consistent downforce, as this element is influenced by roll, yaw, and pitch angles. However, Red Bull and McLaren remain the benchmarks in generating stable aerodynamic load and, consequently, should prove more effective in the faster sectors. From a mechanical standpoint, Ferrari will adopt stiff suspension setups in an attempt to limit chassis movement, improve vertical load stability, and enhance aerodynamic performance.
Greater stiffness has often improved the handling and performance of Red Bull and McLaren, which is why we expect them to be very strong. This aspect will be critical since traction zones exiting corners are approached at high speeds, where aerodynamic contribution outweighs mechanical grip. Thus, no major competitive advantage can be sought in terms of suspension. Ferrari must also work on the car's balance, focusing on refining the front-end to ensure agility in quick direction changes—a vital trait for tackling the track's more technical sections.
Tire management will be another critical factor. Unlike in Las Vegas, in Qatar, the tires will have very little time to cool during a lap. Finding an optimal warm-up setup and strategy will be crucial to keeping the tires in their ideal operating window for as long as possible. In the race, with average speeds reduced due to the need to preserve the tires, those who manage to stabilize temperatures without losing too much grip will gain a significant advantage, avoiding prolonged power management in the most demanding corners.
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