Ferrari: why soft setup made SF-24 undriveable in F1 Brazil Grand Prix
11/07/2024 05:47 AM
Scuderia Ferrari will file the 2024 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix as an event to forget: the trip to the 4.309-kilometre Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Brazil, which turned into a pool, went worse than anticipated, and ultimately, the Maranello team returned home having lost six points in their battle against McLaren for the Constructors’ Championship, now needing to make up 36 points in the three remaining rounds on the Formula 1 calendar, starting with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is up next.
The team knew that the Brazilian track would not suit the characteristics of the SF-24 single-seater, but expectations within Ferrari's management were higher than what was ultimately achieved in Sao Paulo. The new track surface, which did not reduce the presence of bumps, made the pre-race preparations less effective than usual: simulations had shown a more competitive Ferrari than the one we actually saw, but after Friday's single free practice session, it became clear that the Italian side would be on the defensive with a car poorly suited to São Paulo's track.
The rain complicated matters further, highlighting the red car’s difficulties with wet-weather tires. The Canadian Grand Prix had already exposed these weaknesses, and the careful setup work that allowed the SF-24 to expand its tire performance window and better manage wear did not help with the intermediates.
In Saturday morning's Sprint Race, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fifth and seventh, respectively (after a more promising third and fifth in the qualifying session), suggesting that Ferrari was struggling at the Interlagos circuit even more than expected. With the parc fermé reopened before Grand Prix qualifying, there was hope of salvaging a difficult weekend, but McLaren secured a one-two finish in the Sprint.
Charles Leclerc, with his usual honesty, admitted after Sunday's race: "The setup was chosen with the team, and we thought it was heading in the right direction. Instead, it went the wrong way: we simply didn't have the pace, and we weren't competitive. In qualifying, we weren't too bad with new tires and low fuel, but in the race, it was tough to drive and challenging not to make mistakes."
The situation explained by the Monegasque driver is clear, but perhaps it is interesting to understand what went wrong for the Scuderia, even accounting for the pit stop that put him in traffic, forcing him to race in dirty air, when the hope was to attempt an undercut.
With weather forecasts predicting heavy rain both in qualifying and the race, it was not unreasonable to opt for a softer mechanical setup to handle the numerous bumps with a car that could more easily absorb them.
The idea on paper might have been right, but in practice, it didn't work. The SF-24, with a less stable "chassis," became harder to drive, with too rapid and unpredictable changes in behavior. Ground effect cars are very sensitive to ride height, and any variation can lead to aerodynamic losses. Allowing the suspension more travel made the red car more difficult to control. The theoretical advantage of "better copying" the bumps was overshadowed by the changes in the SF-24’s behavior. This also explains the "strange" off-track moments for Carlos Sainz, both of which ended against the barriers and with damage.
The Spaniard crashed in Q3 and during the race. It was unfair for those who accused him of celebrating his magnificent victory in Mexico City too much. Carlos Sainz found himself dealing with an unrecognizable red car, to the point where he never found a proper race pace. Ferrari missed the Spaniard’s points, but the misstep should not have consequences, as we will certainly see the Spaniard competitive again in Las Vegas.
Completing the analysis, we must acknowledge Charles Leclerc's added value in securing fifth place. The Monegasque did a lot to finish the Brazilian Grand Prix ahead of the McLaren cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, therefore limiting the damage at the end of the Sao Paulo weekend. Charles Leclerc extracted from his natural talent a race that statistically only amounts to the 16 points of fifth place but actually holds much greater value. With a wild Ferrari, where it would have been easy to make mistakes, he kept the Italian side’s hopes of still competing for the Constructors’ Championship alive, a title the Scuderia hasn't won since the 2008 Formula 1 season. The McLaren cars, considered by everyone to be the most competitive due to their adaptability to any track, finished behind Charles Leclerc. Therefore, the Monegasque driver’s Brazilian Grand Prix should be reassessed in light of these facts.
And before ending the analysis of the 21st round of the season, it is worth adding one last element: according to rumors, Max Verstappen opted for a stiffer setup on his RB20 after the Sprint Race. Is it fantasy? Is it the truth? It certainly helps fuel a myth that is materializing.
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