Last season saw Ferrari falling short against Red Bull’s powerful RB19. Nevertheless, Ferrari remains steadfast in carving out an independent route towards success with ground-effect aerodynamic cars, steering clear of adopting Red Bull’s design strategy.
The introduction of ground-effect aerodynamic cars in 2022 marked a turning point in Formula 1, with Red Bull, under Adrian Newey’s guidance, securing 38 wins in 44 races. In their dominant 2023 season, they missed only one victory. Red Bull’s success, partly attributed to their downwash concept, has led rivals to adopt similar designs, with team boss Christian Horner anticipating a “convergence” in design philosophies in the near future.
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Is Ferrari redefining the S-Duct/Letter-Duct concept?
However, Red Bull’s sidepods are just one piece of their successful formula. In response, Ferrari, as the only other team to claim Grand Prix victories in the years of ground-effect aerodynamics, is keen on following a distinct path they believe can lead to success.
This raises the question: what will Ferrari’s car look like?
Last season, Ferrari moved away from their ‘babybath’ sidepods to a more traditional design, with Carlos Sainz securing a win at the Singapore Grand Prix, the only race not won by Red Bull in 2023. Despite this victory, Ferrari finished third in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing Red Bull by a substantial 454 points.
Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s team boss, has pledged to implement changes for the 2024 season, but these alterations will not involve imitating Red Bull’s strategy.
As reported by motorsport.com’s Italian edition, Ferrari’s Project 676, free from the SF-23’s flaws, is anticipated to be a significant improvement. Ferrari plans to maintain the 2023 front push and rear pull design but introduce a new element: a keel-like feature to enhance airflow to the Venturi channels.
The gearbox will be encased in a redesigned, more compact transmission case, allowing for a larger diffuser capable of generating greater downforce with the car body. This may potentially reduce the need for more aggressive wing angles.
Ferrari is also experimenting with a “by-pass duct,” a novel airflow channel different from Red Bull’s design, which routes air above the underbody and into a vertical intake adhering to the frame, resembling an S-duct or letterbox duct.
Unlike Newey’s approach of using extreme undercuts to direct airflow under the car, Ferrari’s 676 aims to utilize these ducts for a similar effect.
However, as the publication notes, the efficacy of Ferrari’s strategy and its comparison with Formula 1’s current direction will only become clear by late February.
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