2024 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team

[Autobahn303]

Ouf, the plank flex. That was cool.

[jrdls]

I dont know why everybody is crying about the McLaren wing... They have exploited a gray area and are pushing with innovative design. Something that Ferrari hasnt done since 2002.

Errm have you forgotten about the spicy engines back in 2019 or the halo wing mirrors in 2018 or the plank flex in 2022?

Ferrari absolutely, positively operates in the gray area a lot. Potentially more than any other team. Ferrari just does it to such an egregious extent that the FIA usually intervenes.

Don't forget the grapefruit fuel.

[FittingMechanics]

In Baku the so -called mini DRS resulted in more like 5/6 km/h, which just about seems to have compensated for the FERRARI ability to deploy for longer.

Whole DRS gets about 15-20km/h. There is no way slight bending of the wing at the end gets you 5-6 km/h.

[bluechris]

In Baku the so -called mini DRS resulted in more like 5/6 km/h, which just about seems to have compensated for the FERRARI ability to deploy for longer.

Whole DRS gets about 15-20km/h. There is no way slight bending of the wing at the end gets you 5-6 km/h.

In McLaren case the difference with the DRS on and off is less than the other teams so this means something for sure.

[bananapeel23]

In Baku the so -called mini DRS resulted in more like 5/6 km/h, which just about seems to have compensated for the FERRARI ability to deploy for longer.

Whole DRS gets about 15-20km/h. There is no way slight bending of the wing at the end gets you 5-6 km/h.

Not only does it bend open a litte bit, creating a larger gap and flattening out parts of the upper wing element. The entire wing also flexes back to such a significant extent that the wing as a whole loses a solid chunk of its AOA and becomes a lot lower profile. If it was only the little slit that opened but the wing stayed as upright as it usually is, then it might only be worth 1-2km/h, but with the entire wing flexing back I don't think 5-6km/h is entirely unrealistic.

[Emag]

In Baku the so -called mini DRS resulted in more like 5/6 km/h, which just about seems to have compensated for the FERRARI ability to deploy for longer.

Whole DRS gets about 15-20km/h. There is no way slight bending of the wing at the end gets you 5-6 km/h.

Not only does it bend open a litte bit, creating a larger gap and flattening out parts of the upper wing element. The entire wing also flexes back to such a significant extent that the wing as a whole loses a solid chunk of its AOA and becomes a lot lower profile. If it was only the little slit that opened but the wing stayed as upright as it usually is, then it might only be worth 1-2km/h, but with the entire wing flexing back I don't think 5-6km/h is entirely unrealistic.

This is something the other team's wings already do. The extra advantage in McLaren's rear wing is the gap that is widened at the edges at high speed.

[bananapeel23]

Whole DRS gets about 15-20km/h. There is no way slight bending of the wing at the end gets you 5-6 km/h.

Not only does it bend open a litte bit, creating a larger gap and flattening out parts of the upper wing element. The entire wing also flexes back to such a significant extent that the wing as a whole loses a solid chunk of its AOA and becomes a lot lower profile. If it was only the little slit that opened but the wing stayed as upright as it usually is, then it might only be worth 1-2km/h, but with the entire wing flexing back I don't think 5-6km/h is entirely unrealistic.

This is something the other team's wings already do. The extra advantage in McLaren's rear wing is the gap that is widened at the edges at high speed.

I don't have the pictures right now, but I recall seeing comparisons of how much the wings flex. The McLaren wing flexed back significantly more than either Ferrari or Red Bull. All three do it, but McLaren does it to a much greater extent than the other 2 teams.

[Emag]

Not only does it bend open a litte bit, creating a larger gap and flattening out parts of the upper wing element. The entire wing also flexes back to such a significant extent that the wing as a whole loses a solid chunk of its AOA and becomes a lot lower profile. If it was only the little slit that opened but the wing stayed as upright as it usually is, then it might only be worth 1-2km/h, but with the entire wing flexing back I don't think 5-6km/h is entirely unrealistic.

This is something the other team's wings already do. The extra advantage in McLaren's rear wing is the gap that is widened at the edges at high speed.

I don't have the pictures right now, but I recall seeing comparisons of how much the wings flex. The McLaren wing flexed back significantly more than either Ferrari or Red Bull. All three do it, but McLaren does it to a much greater extent than the other 2 teams.

It's in the 2024 car comparison thread, but the image shared there is a miss-leading comparison because the footage does not come from the exact same angle on all top 3 cars.

I highly doubt other teams don't let their their rear wings flex as far as it is allowed to. It's free laptime.

[catent]

This is something the other team's wings already do. The extra advantage in McLaren's rear wing is the gap that is widened at the edges at high speed.

I don't have the pictures right now, but I recall seeing comparisons of how much the wings flex. The McLaren wing flexed back significantly more than either Ferrari or Red Bull. All three do it, but McLaren does it to a much greater extent than the other 2 teams.

It's in the 2024 car comparison thread, but the image shared there is a miss-leading comparison because the footage does not come from the exact same angle on all top 3 cars.

I highly doubt other teams don't let their their rear wings flex as far as it is allowed to. It's free laptime.

Except there is no objective metric for how much the wings can flex, beyond the static load test (which is, as we’ve come to find, is not predictive of flex under high-speed aerodynamic load). There is a rule stating aerodynamic surfaces should be fixed/immobile relative to themselves, and the static load test is meant to achieve that end, but clearly does not.

It’s not about how much the wings are allowed to flex, but rather if said flex is within the spirit of the existing rules (which I’d argue it’s not). Most teams likely expected such aerodynamic flexing would be cracked down upon by the FIA, as history suggested it would be (Red Bull 2021, Ferrari 2022, Aston 2023), and so investing in and building your car around technology likely to be deemed illegal and prohibited during the season would not be a wise development plan.

In other words, the other teams didn’t think they could get away with a (rather obvious) rule violation. Based on precedent from 2021-2023, they were right to believe this. We all know how 2024 has been handled by the FIA; it’s been handled very differently than in the past, and in a completely inconsistent and hypocritical manner.

[Emag]

I don't have the pictures right now, but I recall seeing comparisons of how much the wings flex. The McLaren wing flexed back significantly more than either Ferrari or Red Bull. All three do it, but McLaren does it to a much greater extent than the other 2 teams.

It's in the 2024 car comparison thread, but the image shared there is a miss-leading comparison because the footage does not come from the exact same angle on all top 3 cars.

I highly doubt other teams don't let their their rear wings flex as far as it is allowed to. It's free laptime.

Except there is no objective metric for how much the wings can flex, beyond the static load test (which is, as we’ve come to find, is not predictive of flex under high-speed aerodynamic load). There is a rule stating aerodynamic surfaces should be fixed/immobile relative to themselves, and the static load test is meant to achieve that end, but clearly does not.

It’s not about how much the wings are allowed to flex, but rather if said flex is within the spirit of the existing rules (which I’d argue it’s not). Most teams likely expected such aerodynamic flexing would be cracked down upon by the FIA, as history suggested it would be (Red Bull 2021, Ferrari 2022, Aston 2023), and so investing in and building your car around technology likely to be deemed illegal and prohibited during the season would not be a wise development plan.

In other words, the other teams didn’t think they could get away with a (rather obvious) rule violation. Based on precedent from 2021-2023, they were right to believe this. We all know how 2024 has been handled by the FIA; it’s been handled very differently than in the past, and in a completely inconsistent and hypocritical manner.

Spirit of the rules is not an argument. Nobody is out there to adhere to the "spirit of the rules", they just care about making the car fast. It's why we have now end up with cars which are getting harder and harder to follow even though "the spirit of the rules" wanted the opposite.

As for the rest. If the thing complies with the tests, then it is legal. The FIA just came out with a statement today and said it is legal, even though they might consider stricter rules to change that in the future. The teams know how to get around the rules. You're playing everyone in the paddock for fools if you think they don't know how to exploit the area.

It doesn't take much in terms of anything to make a rear wing flexible in the straights and everyone does it. McLaren just went the extra mile and exploited something which looks dubious, but it is obviously still legal as the rules stand, otherwise it would not have been allowed to race.

Flexing at the front on the other hand, is different, because you are purposefully running the car with a lot of front-load which means setup and the balance will change, so it's not a plug-in solution for everyone. That is why not everyone is so keen on wasting resources to adapt their cars/concept to work with that thing at the front.

You don't know if FIA will clamp down harder and you don't know if it is even worth it, since there's probably more laptime to be gained by investing on developing other areas of the car.

[Xyz22]

Leclerc went pretty "hard" on the flexi wing topic.

https://x.com/PitDebrief/status/1836747659593318732

[Fakepivot]

Leclerc went pretty "hard" on the flexi wing topic.

https://x.com/PitDebrief/status/1836747659593318732

he is upset fred is not doing political about it?

[.Bole]

New front wing with our first iteration aimed at flexing
https://formu1a.uno/it/ferrari-sf-24-ec ... singapore/

[franbatista123]

Leclerc went pretty "hard" on the flexi wing topic.

https://x.com/PitDebrief/status/1836747659593318732

he is upset fred is not doing political about it?

Surely they talked beforehand and Charles wouldn't put this much pressure like this on Vasseur. Could we be in for some public bombshells from Fred?

[Xyz22]

Leclerc went pretty "hard" on the flexi wing topic.

https://x.com/PitDebrief/status/1836747659593318732

he is upset fred is not doing political about it?

Surely they talked beforehand and Charles wouldn't put this much pressure like this on Vasseur. Could we be in for some public bombshells from Fred?

The new "meme" is that Leclerc didn't overtake Piastri to highlight Mclaren flexi rear wing