Has Ferrari rejected pull-rod suspension? Reasons behind a risky choice
Yesterday at 03:09 PM
There is much talk about Ferrari, especially regarding a feature that the Maranello team has yet to adopt in Formula 1. Every season seems to be the right time. Yet, when it comes down to it, nothing changes. Specifically, this concerns the front suspension system, which many believe should undergo substantial reshaping by adopting a pull-rod kinematic scheme. The SF-25, as the next Italian car might be called, will be 95% different. These are the comments of Frederic Vasseur, the French team principal who has implemented a clear revolution since taking charge of the Scuderia.
The floor of the Italian car is the key component aimed at achieving a significant quality leap. During the 2024 Formula 1 season, at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to be precise, an experimental floor made its debut. The Ferrari engineers and technicians intended to anticipate developments and advance the study of the airflow impacting the floor and directing it toward the rear. After all, the importance of this element in generating downforce is well known. For this reason, Ferrari has developed a specific version based on that experimental design, tailored for optimal performance.
This marks the beginning of Project 677, which obviously involves other major modifications, such as those made to the chassis, sidepods, undercuts, and side panels. There is great anticipation for the car that will see the debut of Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 world champion, who joins Ferrari with a single goal: to bring the historic Italian team back to the top. This ambition is shared by Charles Leclerc, who will have at his side a determined, lightning-fast, and highly experienced teammate. For Ferrari, 2025 is not a transitional year, as the potential to make the final step and achieve victory is more than just a possibility.
Having provided this necessary introduction, let's return to the topic of suspensions. Could Ferrari have adopted the pull-rod at the front? This suspension scheme would align with their two main rivals: Red Bull and McLaren. The Milton Keynes team has used it since the start of the current regulatory era, while McLaren adopted the solution in the 2023 Formula 1 season. We discussed this last year when several teams began copying Red Bull's front suspension concepts. Let's clarify one thing straight away.
The advantage of this scheme is not automatic and, from a mechanical perspective, offers only marginal benefits. However, a different setup can open new development pathways. Nonetheless, as this is the final championship of regulatory continuity, adopting this solution now could be quite risky. It is worth remembering that McLaren itself took almost an entire season to make this choice effective and fully capitalize on its characteristics.
The primary reason for the increasing use of pull-rods at the front is mainly aerodynamic. However, this benefit is not immediately apparent. Due to the way the pull-rod is positioned—attached to the lower part of the chassis and the upper part of the wheel hub—it enables better development of systems that manage the tire wake. Typically, it is necessary to generate a certain degree of out-wash, pushing airflow outward to divert turbulent flow. This advantage is also linked to geometries involved in developing the nose’s shape.
With a lower nosecone tip compared to current cars, the pull-rod scheme is more suitable as it allows for better arrangement of all the internal suspension components. These include elements such as the rocker, the torsion bars regulating vertical movement, the anti-roll bars for lateral movement, and the third element to adjust ride height. Additionally, this area of the car also houses various dampers, motion-damping elements connected to each of the aforementioned parts. One of the main disadvantages is accessibility. It may seem trivial, but it's true.
The pull-rod scheme requires the masses to be positioned in the lower part of the chassis. This significantly complicates the replacement of torsion and anti-roll bars, which are used to adjust the stiffness of the front axle. Former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile made specific choices, and the 2024 car is certainly not to be dismissed. From what we know, Loic Serra likely has different ideas about the technical management of the Maranello team, but regarding the front suspension, he seems to share the same perspective as the engineer from Arezzo, favoring the continued use of the current push-rod setup.
From an aerodynamic standpoint, significant work was done on the SF-24's floor to improve the car body's efficiency, particularly by developing the central and rear areas of the car. For 2025, switching to a front pull-rod setup would mean opening a new development front, abandoning a well-understood scheme that Ferrari has heavily invested in over the past two seasons. Consider, for instance, the extensive work done last winter on the front-end to achieve mechanical grip and stability. We'll have to wait until February for confirmations or refutations.
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