Red Bull capitalised on a key advantage throughout the previous season: their impressive aero efficiency, rendering their car potent on straightaways.
Their edge was particularly pronounced when activating the DRS, with the team meticulously honing the drag ratio of their mainplane and its synergy with the beam wing.
In 2023, other teams like McLaren began adopting the Red Bull approach, while Ferrari divulged significant alterations in this domain.
Enrico Cardile, Ferrari’s technical director, disclosed at the unveiling of their new SF-24 on Tuesday the substantial efforts Ferrari had invested in pursuing DRS enhancements for their new vehicle.
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Responding to Motorsport.com’s query on whether the team had emulated Red Bull’s DRS strategy, Cardile affirmed, “Yes, it is. I mean, a part of the development of this car has been also to revamp completely the rear wing.”
He elaborated, “The car has been already presented with a new mid-downforce rear wing and we are revamping accordingly all the range pretty much we have.
So we focus our attention also on the rear wings.”
The rear wing showcased on the Ferrari launch car featured a distinct layout for the central pillar, resembling more of a Swan neck design as it extends over the mainplane and links to the DRS pod.
Additionally, Ferrari seemed to have adopted the Alpine-style semi-detached tip section, one of the two prevalent approaches in this region of the car during the past season.
Although the new Ferrari has gravitated conceptually towards the Red Bull direction, Cardile asserted that the team maintained its distinctive approach.
“We took definitely our own direction,” he remarked. “We did during last year a big job to understand what driveability meant in terms of shaping the aero map, so the direction is our own.”
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Cardile emphasised that the launch version of the car would be the same one raced in Bahrain, with updates following as the team grasps the characteristics of its new contender.
“The only thing I can say is that the car we’ve done already has progressed and evolved compared to the one presented,” he added.
“Then we will decide when it will be better to bring the first updates on track. The first step is to see where we are compared to our competitors.”