The Ferrari arrives at Singapore with many hopes. In F1confidence in one’s own abilities is fundamental, and after the summer break, it seems that the red team has made significant progress in this area too. This situation is supported by the technical updates introduced by the Monza Grand Prixwhich have increased the car’s potential. In addition to the track-specific aerodynamic package Italian, the Little horse Rampant presented a revised version of the fund, which has been deeply modified in all its parts. From what we can perceive, this new component is working as expected.
A Marina Bay we will be able to have a clearer picture, although, considering the nature of the street circuit, it will be essential to wait Austin for a final validation of the updates. The stable of Maranello has a clear goal for this weekend: fight for the victory. It won’t be easy, but historically the red has often shown that it knows how to perform well on this track. The main opponent remains the McLarena team that, despite having wasted precious points in the championship, has a technically very competitive car.
The MCL38 will try to highlight its excellent traction and low-speed cornering performance. But let’s not forget the Red Bullwho wants to redeem themselves after some disappointing performances. The team of Milton Keynes He worked hard on the simulator to get to 18th round from the F1 in top form. Last season’s mistakes have provided important lessons, and although they start a little quietly, they have every intention of returning to compete for victory. The talent of Verstappen will be a decisive factor in this fight.
the rear of Max Vertappen’s Red Bull RB20 – Baku GP 2024Finally, we come to the Mercedeswhich presents itself to Singapore after a trio of races in which she failed to maximize her performance of its cars. The recent update to the fund has created some difficulties for the technical team led by James Allison. Waiting for further news, loudly requested by Lewis Hamiltonthe German team’s approach is targeted: make the most of the grip mechanical and good performance capacity in high-speed sections. It is an equation on which the Mercedes she has worked for a long time and feels ready to face the challenges of the circuit Marina Bay.
Singapore GP: Ferrari shifts centre of pressure to rear
Ferrari arrives at Singapore with the high aerodynamic load configuration, already used successfully at the Gran Award Of Monaco and in that of Hungary. With this aerodynamic setup, the team Italian has always managed to find a good overall balance. The SF-24 has evolved a lot in the last races, becoming more complete and with a better balance, thanks also to the introduction of the new bottom of Monzawhich made a further contribution, in particular by improving the stability of the aerodynamic flow flowing in the lower part of the car.
compare ali posteriori: Ferrari SF-24 vs McLaren MCL38 – GP Singapore 2024A Singapore traction is crucial. Although Ferrari does not stand out as the best in this field, it manages to compensate with an excellent reactivity at the front. This aspect allows it to effectively shift the balance towards the rear, without excessively compromising the performance on the front-end. Even by moving the overall balance back, the front continues to work well, without suffering too much. In the last races, the SF-24 showed a slight tendency towards understeer during Friday’s practice, a problem that was promptly resolved during the weekend.
In general, the SF-24 It maintains a slight tendency towards oversteer, but this characteristic has been toned down and does not seem to create particular difficulties for the drivers. It seems that a new front wing could make its debut at home Ferrariwith some changes to the shape of the last flap additional, in order to better balance the load with the rear axle. Also the McLaren decided to adopt the aerodynamic configuration already seen at Monaco and in Hungaryas widely expected, without introducing substantial changes for the Singapore Grand Prix.
This choice is in line with the characteristics of the track which require high downforce and excellent traction in slow corners. The rear wing that the MCL38 is using presents a main plane very similar to that of the red one. A component under investigation at Baku. Let’s talk about the second element of the rear wing that had caught a lot of attention. One of the strong points of the McLaren is its ability in the acceleration phases. The papaya-colored car, in fact, is probably the best in terms of mechanical grip in slow curves and in restarts.
Lando Norris (McLaren) aboard his MCL38 during the 2024 Monza Grand PrixWhat we can call a crucial advantage on a street circuit like Singaporewhere the ability to exit tight corners with good acceleration can make the difference in terms of lap times. Thanks to this solidity in traction, the McLaren can focus much of the tuning work on improving the balance of the front axle. It is essential that the front end of the car guarantees the right precision and reactivity in changes of direction, indispensable factors for effectively tackling the numerous low-speed bends on the track.
Singapore GP: Mercedes below optimal downforce level
Red Bull he chose to use the rear wing already seen previously on high-downforce tracks, tracks that have highlighted some of the difficulties of the RB20unable to express its full potential. We always refer to Monaco e Hungarycircuits characterised by slow and technical corners, with a high demand for mechanical traction and gripaspects in which the Austrian car does not excel. This weekend It therefore represents an interesting challenge for engineers Milton Keyneswho will have to work carefully to improve their performance on an equally complex track.
The biggest difficulty lies in managing the balance, a critical element that already emerged last year on this track. The choice of the rear wing implies a move back of the aerodynamic pressure center that tends to destabilize the overall balance of the car. This move back, in fact, leads to a sort of “disconnection” between the axles, with the front and rear parts not working in perfect synergy, making the RB20 more difficult to drive, especially in the more technical points. Within this context, finding a setup that it manages to ensure an effective compromise becomes crucial.
compare ali posteriori: Red Bull RB20 vs Mercedes W14 – GP Singapore 2024The challenge is to find a setup that doesn’t compromise the grip on the front axle, a fundamental aspect to guarantee the right reactivity in changes of direction and in the slow curves that characterise Singapore. However, the main problem for the Red Bull is that the adjustment window to get the right balance seems to be extremely limited now. This is the verdict of the last two months. Small variations in the setting could cause a significant drop in performance, making it even more difficult to find an optimal setup.
Finally we come to the Mercedeswhich adopts the high load version at the rear. A solution that, at first glance, should produce an average lower aerodynamic load than the main competitorgoing slightly below the estimated optimal load level for the Asian toboggan of Marina Bay. In the last few races the German F1 team has lost a bit of its overall balance. That of Singapore It is a fairly defined circuit in terms of the type of curves and with fewer compromises. The construction of the setup It should therefore be less complex.
Authors: Zander Arcari – @berrageiz – Niccolo Arnerich – @niccoloarnerich
Images: Scuderia Ferrari – Red Bull Racing – Albert Fabrega – @AlbertFabrega