Frederic Vasseur and Co. Use Adrian Newey’s Former Engineers in Massive Upgrades for Ferrari

Why reinvent the wheel when you can stand on the shoulders of giants? Ferrari seems to have taken this concept to heart with the next set of planned upgrades for the SF-24. After a dismal end to the turbo-hybrid era in 2021, Ferrari had the opportunity to get back to the top with the new ground effect cars. And while they did start the 2022 season on a high, it was Red Bull who came up with the best design philosophy for the current regulations, thanks to the legendary F1 car designer, Adrian Newey.

In a bid to catch up to Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Frederic Vasseur made some key acquisitions from the Milton Keynes engineering squad near the end of last season. Recent reports are suggesting that Ferrari is going to bring its first major upgrades as a result of those personnel changes at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Italy.

As shared by Junaid Samodien on X, Ferari’s updates will include changes to the radiator inlets and a revised undertray design aimed at improving aerodynamic efficiency. The decision to replace the lower tray in favor of an inverted solution is expected to improve airflow management around the car. This approach, initially perfected by Adrian Newey at Red Bull, was also seen on the McLarens, albeit to a lesser degree.

With a redesigned sidepod, a new floor, and an even more extreme front wing, Ferrari’s upgrades for Imola aim to reduce the gap with Red Bull at the front of the field. Sports Illustrated quoted team principal Fred Vasseur speaking about the changes, “There is already an “EVO version” of the SF-24 in the wind tunnel, more advanced than the current 1.0 version’s concept… This new look in Imola will feature new sidepods and a new floor.”

As with any upgrade package in Formula 1, success is not a guarantee, however, Carlos Sainz thinks that Ferrari can get close to Red Bull in 2024.

Carlos Sainz is optimistic about the upgrades planned for Imola

Ferrari has already shown great signs of improvement in the 2024 season so far. One of their biggest issues in 2023 was poor tire degradation, something that has now been fixed by Frederic Vasseur and his team as evident through Charles Leclerc‘s 25-lap long first stint on medium tires in Japan. Carlos Sainz believes that the upgrades at Imola will get them even closer to Red Bull.

Speaking about the upgrades, Sainz told Motorsport.com, “I think they [Red  Bull] are definitely going to have an advantage in the first third of the season until we bring one or two upgrades that makes us fight them more consistently.” However, Sainz also mentioned that by the time they catch up to Red Bull, they might already be too far ahead in the championship. He simply wants to maximize the results he can achieve in his last season with his current team.

Will the upgrades allow Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to fight with the Red Bulls more often? Sainz will surely be hoping to steal another win or two from Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.