P1racenews AI automatic summary:
RacingNews365’s Paolo Filisetti gives his take on upgrades that are in the Ferrari pipeline as it looks to bridge the gap to Red Bull.
Following the opening two grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, teams have begun the process of understanding their cars, with Ferrari emerging as the second-fastest behind Red Bull, showing a deficit of about four-tenths of a second per lap. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s cars have shown progressive improvement from the 2023 machinery, except for Red Bull. The SF24 is based on a different concept with a rethought chassis, different cooling system packaging, and power unit accessories. Suspension geometries and kinematics have been perfected for enhanced aerodynamics.
In Saudi Arabia, weaker aspects of the SF24 were identified, mainly in slow tyre warm-up, requiring upgrades to bridge the gap to the RB20. Ferrari’s engineers quickly addressed the lack of downforce from the floor by planning upgrades between the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola. The upgrades will include a new floor with revised Venturi channels and wing specifications, culminating in upgraded sidepods at Imola. These changes aim to increase downforce and improve overall performance.
