Ferrari Unveils Upgraded Floor at Italian Grand Prix to Combat Bouncing Issues
In an effort to tackle the bouncing problems that have hindered their performance in recent races, Ferrari has introduced an upgraded floor design at the Italian Grand Prix. This new development aims to resolve the issues that arose after the introduction of a new floor concept at the Spanish Grand Prix, which triggered a resurgence of high-speed bouncing.
According to Ferrari performance engineer Jock Clear, the key to stopping bouncing lies in controlling the final millimeter of movement when the car is close to the track, generating maximum downforce.
“In the past, cars would always bounce off the ground,” he explained. “But the plank was there, plus we weren’t relying on that final bit of ground effect that this generation of cars are relying on. So, it would bounce off the ground but the aero was never that critical.”
Clear emphasized that the current generation of cars, with their ground-effect design, requires a different approach.
“When the car does touch the ground, [the downforce] all disappears. So, you really have to be careful how aggressive that downforce is in those last couple of millimeters.” Ferrari has been modeling this phenomenon better and is now more confident in producing floors that won’t cause problems when installed on the real car.
What’s New on the Ferrari at Monza?
In addition to the upgraded floor, Ferrari has introduced a host of changes to its SF-24. These include:
- New front and rear wings, with a focus on reducing downforce and drag
- Sidepod tweaks, featuring a larger undercut and adjusted bodywork to improve airflow to the rear of the car
- A single-element beam wing to further reduce downforce and drag
- Adjustments to the front wing, including trimmed upper flaps and altered angles of attack to balance the car front to rear
- Repositioned nose cameras to better align with suspension elements
- Shortened outer wing mirror stays to work more effectively with the new sidepod bodywork
The new low-downforce rear wing is an all-new design, with a centrally mounted support pillar and a semi-circular structure wrapping around the exhaust. The mainplane and top flap occupy a smaller percentage of the allowable box region, making it ideal for Monza.
Ferrari hopes that these changes will provide a more consistent platform moving forward, resolving the issues that arose from their previous updates. With the Italian Grand Prix underway, fans are eagerly waiting to see if these changes will pay off for the Scuderia.
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