Some more details about the experimental floor.
https://autoracer.it/it/ferrari-guarda- ... las-vegas/
Following the summer break, Ferrari upgraded its wind tunnel facilities. The upgrade specifically involved the belt system in the wind tunnel, expanding the surface where the model is placed and subjected to the powerful air currents that simulate the flow encountered on the track. McLaren, in this regard, is significantly advanced with a wider belt that allows for the study of the car in the tunnel at important yaw angles, offering a broader range of analysis. However, Ferrari is not standing still and has equipped itself accordingly.
These upgrades require the temporary suspension of wind tunnel operations. Ferrari chose to halt its usage once the latest developments—later seen at Monza and Singapore—were completed. After resuming tunnel activity, the focus shifted primarily to the 2025 car and, specifically, to this experimental floor that will debut in Las Vegas. Only one version of this floor has been brought to the United States, mounted on Carlos Sainz's car. The objective is not to seek performance or specific aerodynamic gains but to verify that the changes observed in the wind tunnel translate to the track as they appeared in the virtual environment.
The new floor is easily identifiable due to its radically different structure in the area of the floor edges, the open slot in front of the rear wheels, and a distinct design in the diffuser ramp. It is a vastly different element from the floor that Charles Leclerc will concurrently use, which is exclusively focused on optimizing performance for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The features of this new floor represent an initial iteration of a design intended for the 2025 car but in a very rudimentary form. In Maranello, a different floor is already being tested in the wind tunnel, even as Ferrari trials this one in Las Vegas. The objective is not to assess its performance impact but to analyze whether the chosen development path is correct and ensure that wind tunnel data corresponds to real-world performance—an aspect that has often challenged F1 teams working with ground-effect cars.
