After yesterday’s presentation and brief shakedown, the Ferrari SF-24 immediately returned to the track. It went to track again at Fiorano, completing the 200km filming day made available by the FIA (the first of two available in 2024). Yesterday morning, it was Carlos Sainz who started the operations. For the afternoon session, it was teammate Charles Leclerc who took the wheel.
Commercial footage and early analysis completed ahead of Bahrain testing
These sessions are useful for the teams to verify whether their single-seaters have been correctly assembled or not. After all, it is the first time the car leaves the factory and runs in real conditions.
The best scenario is to immediately rediscover the sensations that the drivers may have felt in the simulator, with concrete feedback from the simulator data. Last year, as Charles Leclerc (finally) admitted, his first laps were not the most encouraging.
Regarding the first 15km yesterday, the Monegasque stated that “the sensations are better than those of last year, but it’s still early.”
Today, both drivers were certainly able to get a better idea, but it remains a purely commercial event where the car is not pushed anywhere near the limit. The work program was completed smoothly.
Ferrari used these 200km to carry out traditional tests on ground clearance. This is a fundamental issue with this new generation of cars.
Beyond this, the Maranello-based engineers began studying their new suspensions. Special attention was paid to the rear.
For the 2024 season, the internal elements have been revised. A new positioning of the tie rod in the design of the triangle is also present.
Fiorano has recently been resurfaced, but the track is also useful for testing – with various heights from the ground – the sensitivity of the car to bumps and the mechanical behaviour of the single-seater.
These are all the first indications that teams receive and collect. They transfer data to the simulator and prepare as best as possible for the intense work that awaits them in Bahrain. Meanwhile, work continues within GES on the first developments that will be introduced later on the SF-24.
Authors: Paolo D’Alessandro & Giuliano Duchessa
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
