Ferrari didn’t win within the 2024 System 1 championship however goals to take action subsequent yr because the lengthy winter of F1 has simply begun. With no observe exercise, the utmost effort is being put into finalizing technical initiatives by the groups for the upcoming season. The design part started a while in the past, however it’s solidified when the place to begin represents a constant reference. For that reason, all groups, at the very least of their intentions, had deliberate a improvement plan with a shift in direction of the ultimate part of the not too long ago concluded season.
The reason being easy: in 2025, there can be much less time to deal with the shortcomings of a automotive outlined in response to the regulatory framework that can be out of date after a number of months. The final yr of regulatory continuity, the truth is, permits groups to investigate the weaknesses of the vehicles from the finished championship by means of the huge quantity of information collected throughout race weekends. In relation to publicly obtainable data, some points can nonetheless be highlighted. As for Ferrari, the SF-24 single-seater was definitely an enormous step ahead in comparison with the 2023 automotive.
The engineers and technicians on the Prancing Horse managed to provide the automotive the power to specific its most potential inside a wider working window of the tires, which was the true Achilles’ heel of its predecessor. The value paid for this was a decrease velocity on a single lap, a conduct partially anticipated by the Maranello technicians, as the first aim was to not overload the Pirelli tires with an excessive amount of vitality in a really quick time. For that reason, the SF-23 automotive carried out finest when it comes to qualifying tempo however struggled over the complete 300 kilometer distance.
Within the evaluation, we evaluated the efficiency of the crimson automotive based mostly on the compounds chosen by the Italian tire provider throughout F1 race weekends. As typical, the Italian producer Pirelli, for every Grand Prix of the season, based mostly on environmental elements, observe floor abrasiveness, and observe geometry, conducts a evaluation that gives probably the most correct indications for choosing three of the 5 compounds obtainable to make use of when the reference plan is dry.
On tracks the place excessive masses are generated on the tires, in quick corners, Pirelli has lengthy chosen the more durable compounds within the vary, so the tires can face up to the vitality values being transmitted. The results of the numerical evaluation reveals that the mix of the toughest compounds on tracks with quick corners is the realm of enchancment for undertaking 677. Previously season, the C1, C2, and C3 compounds had been chosen for the next Grand Prix: Bahrain, Japan, Spain, England, Netherlands, and Qatar.
In none of those rounds did the vehicles of the Prancing Horse shine, though it have to be emphasised that within the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, the aerodynamic replace bundle debuted, which confused the Ferrari Racing Division for a number of weeks, and due to this fact the races in Barcelona on the Circuit de Catalunya and England on the Silverstone circuit had been closely influenced by the unpredictable conduct of the SF-24. Nonetheless, even after the engineers from the historic Maranello-based staff managed to get the automotive again on a virtuous improvement path, the efficiency in Zandvoort and Losail was nonetheless lackluster.
The reds, when utilizing the more durable compounds, averaged 10 factors fewer than these utilizing the central subset (C2, C3, and C4) and 5 factors fewer in comparison with races the place the softer dry compounds (C3, C4, and C5) had been used. The Brazilian F1 race was clearly not thought-about within the evaluation, because it was held underneath torrential rain situations. Moreover, it ought to at all times be saved in thoughts that many different elements can have an effect on the accuracy of the information. For instance, we recall the disastrous qualifying efficiency of the reds in Singapore.
It was the prelude to a weekend, the Asian one, the place a lot much less was gained when it comes to factors than may have been. Nonetheless, the ultimate end result just isn’t a coincidence, and due to this fact its worth definitely holds weight. The aim for the lads of Maranello in view of the 2025 System 1 championship is definitely to extend the flexibility of the automotive throughout the whole vary of merchandise made by Pirelli, together with improved efficiency in lengthy, high-speed corners.
As if that weren’t sufficient, it appears that evidently beginning subsequent yr, the brand new Tremendous Delicate C6 compound can be launched, and its inclusion among the many obtainable choices may redefine the traits of the whole dry product vary made by the Italian provider. A further headache for the Ferrari staff designers, who, after a number of years of infinite struggles, managed, by means of a deep understanding of the tires, to create probably the most fascinating System 1 seasons of the final decade.