Ferrari: new floor on Charles Leclerc's SF-24, but it could disappear | 2024 F1 Qatar GP

Yesterday at 06:53 PM

Ferrari decided to reintroduce the floor that Carlos Sainz had tried in the first free practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Spanish driver didn’t seem entirely convinced by the solution, which had been labeled as “experimental,” as he started the Nevada weekend with a less convincing pace than what followed. Carlos Sainz finished sixth, two-tenths behind Charles Leclerc, and gave the impression that the solution, which was intended to preview the 2025 philosophy, hadn't particularly impressed him.

Ferrari's engineers had explained that the floor was an experiment aimed at testing new wind tunnel calibrations following the updates made during the summer break. In any case, the solution is set to be reintroduced at the 5.419-kilometre Lusail International Circuit, this time on Charles Leclerc's car. As of now, a technical briefing is taking place, and it's not ruled out that the floor could be “shelved,” given that with the Sprint format, there is only one practice session before qualifying for the sprint race.

It remains to be seen if the Monegasque driver will also have the chance to express his opinion on the new floor, which is easily identifiable by the curb exit with a longer longitudinal wing and four different metallic supports.

There's also a new design near the blow-off area: the last portion of the floor, secured by a tie rod, features a slot that is more squared off compared to the previous round shape. The bracket that connected the two curb elements has been removed, and there is now a reappearance of a carbon tongue in an L-shape, which juts out from the floor. This element also now features a vertical flow diverter that directs air downward from the floor, thanks to a ramp with a double angle. Additionally, a micro-slot appears slightly ahead, on the curb exit edge, functioning as a vortex generator.

The new floor at Lusail is turning into something of a mystery: for now, it's mounted on SF-24 number 16, but it cannot be ruled out that it may disappear, especially considering that it might be more important for Leclerc to focus on tuning the car for the Qatar GP, with such little time to find the optimal setup.

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