Charles Leclerc eases himself into the cockpit of his Ferrari, situated on the Imola grid.
Ferrari senior performance engineer Jock Clear has revealed the team have identified car setup as a key area to “attack” as they aim to close the gap to Red Bull during the F1 2024 season.
Having been the only team other than Red Bull to win a race in F1 2023, Ferrari have made an encouraging start to the new season with Carlos Sainz collecting his third career victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari placing emphasis on SF-24 setup in bid to catch Red Bull
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
There is renewed hope that Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s advantage over the opposition is rapidly reducing, as McLaren also secures an early-season win with Lando Norris in Miami.
At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ferrari unveiled a significant upgrade package which included alterations to the sidepods, floor, and rear wing. Despite these improvements, they were unable to actively compete for victory like Verstappen and Norris, who finished the race with a mere 0.725-second gap between them at Imola.
Sainz and his teammate Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, were confident that Ferrari’s upgrades were performing according to expectations. Sainz even went as far as accusing the media of exaggerating the extent of the update leading up to the weekend.
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Clear, in a conversation with media outlets such as PlanetF1.com at Imola, disclosed that Ferrari is increasingly prioritizing their setup strategy as they strive to close the gap on Red Bull.
“He described the Imola update as a natural progression of the car.”
“We are aware of the trajectory this car will take from the start of the season, as you decide your development path and we continue along that chosen path.”
“When Charles discusses the car’s weaknesses, it is evident that after six races, we have indeed identified certain areas that require attention.”
Bringing a car with greater potential can improve all those areas significantly, ensuring that there is always a continuous development route that all teams will follow.
It is evident that there are actions we can take to address the car’s weaknesses, which I believe primarily involve setting it up differently.
“This advancement is continuing to grow naturally – it’s simply becoming more chocolatey and flavorful.”
I believe we are still in the process of refining the setup. We have made progress in that aspect and are considering adjusting the setup to maximize the car’s potential and address the weaknesses we have observed in the first six races.
However, I believe that these two development paths consistently progress side by side.
“During the year, your constant aim is to maximize the performance of the tyre contact patch. However, when it comes to aerodynamics, increasing the vertical load on the tyre contact patch will always yield better results.”
“We have added a more substantial aero package, and we continuously strive to improve the setup. In the past few races, we have discovered certain areas that we can focus on and make significant improvements.”
Clear emphasized that the current ground effect regulations in F1 allow for the development of a “safer car.” He highlighted the significance of optimizing the car’s setup to ensure consistent performance.
He expressed that enhancing the drivability of the car would undoubtedly enhance its performance. The AI driver, constantly operating at the factory, can drive the car faster compared to real drivers, as it is less affected by human perceptual limitations.
“It remains fearless and devoid of thoughts like, ‘Can I actually accomplish this task so late?'”
“We constantly strive to narrow this gap, which essentially means achieving a balanced window of performance for the car. This ensures consistent balance at both high and low speeds, giving drivers the assurance of what they can expect.”
In my opinion, in the past 18 months to two years, it appears that everyone has been focused on this particular aspect, most likely because we are dealing with a new era of automobiles.
“When they were introduced a year and a half ago, they had a mixed performance. Some speeds were impressive, while at other speeds, they were quite disappointing, making one think, ‘Wow, this car is awful.'”
“We are collectively reducing the balance shift and narrowing the balance window, thereby progressing towards the creation of a more gentle car.”
However, we must acknowledge the correlation between increasing the car’s vertical load through downforce and its improved speed; hence, these two factors go hand in hand.
There is likely more potential to extract from the setup, as this aero package will slightly alter the balance between high speed and low speed performance. Consequently, we need to readjust the car’s setup accordingly.
Always remember that the setup is essential, as it can drastically change the performance of a car. It is not uncommon to witness a good car appearing bad from one week to another, solely due to the setup.
“We acknowledge that certain circuits are more compatible with cars, however, our primary responsibility at the circuit is to optimize the car’s performance by configuring it in a manner that maximizes its potential within this package.”
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