The Ferrari SF-24 featured a pull-rod rear suspension, with a tie rod as an alternative of a strut. Rumors about an imminent change to a push-rod rear suspension have been very persistent relating to the Maranello workforce’s new single-seater for the 2025 Method 1 championship. In accordance with numerous studies, the 677 challenge will basically overturn the suspension layouts on each axles with new kinematics. These predictions are fairly peculiar and, in all probability, misread Frederic Vasseur’s current feedback on the Ferrari. Hypothesis recommended a shift to a push-rod rear suspension between 2023 and 2024, which finally didn’t occur.
Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, on the time, defined merely why it was not adopted. This makes it a very good second to delve deeper into what the previous technical director asserted nearly one yr in the past. First, let’s begin with a elementary idea: switching to a rear push-rod suspension is a bonus, however not as vital as one would possibly suppose. It isn’t sufficient to merely change a tie rod with a strut, to magnify the idea. The profit lies in reaching a cleaner airflow towards the rear, as the interior parts are organized greater, permitting for a slimmer decrease part.
Already with the SF-24, Ferrari spent appreciable assets as a way to obtain a compromise between the 2 layouts, with glorious outcomes. The “technical settlement” was reached by reorganizing the parts beneath the automotive’s bodywork, enabling them to operate in another way in comparison with the previous. Moreover, resizing these parts as a complete made it doable to slim down the decrease rear part. Nonetheless, the tie rod remained, which nonetheless barely disrupted the airflow in that particular space of the automotive.
It must be famous that Mercedes additionally switched to a push-rod rear suspension through the 2024 Method 1 racing marketing campaign. For a number of months, this variation brought on numerous adaptation points. It was a suspension adjustment examined on observe that discovered its correct operational level over time. This suspension modification may even characteristic on the W16 single-seater. Returning to Ferrari, evaluations carried out on the manufacturing unit through the previous season didn’t reveal a major benefit in abandoning the pull-rod rear suspension to justify the added weight and diminished compliance.
All the pieces ties into the functioning of the ground, which, to function inside its optimum window, relies upon closely on the rear suspension. Making certain a sure conformity between these two parts is important and inevitably brings a number of benefits. By “compliance,” we imply the suspension system’s potential to deform beneath load. This deformation is essential in figuring out the accuracy of the aerodynamic map. It is usually true that, with the up to date wind tunnel, Ferrari’s improvement work has appeared extra constant since the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Sadly, the six races misplaced through the season resulting from technical points weighed closely, and because of this, simply as with the entrance suspension, switching to a wholly new suspension system could be a major gamble for the Maranello workforce within the 2025 Method 1 marketing campaign. If the Ferrari engineers and technicians had determined to put in a push-rod rear suspension, it will imply that the best way the interior parts are activated would change, even when the kinematics might stay comparable, with the higher and decrease wishbones presumably retaining the identical form.
What might change on this case is the tactic of working the third aspect, which regulates journey top—a vital parameter for the present ground-effect automobiles. It’s certainly not sure that on February 19 we would see some tweaks to the format of the overlapping wishbones. If the objective is to get better among the traction misplaced in 2023, it’s mandatory to attain higher floor contact and preserve it for a higher share of time through the acceleration part. To attain such a end result, changes are made to the format of the overlapping wishbones.
That is carried out by making small modifications to the association of the 4 arms, which might result in vital variations in on-track habits. A great compromise between compliance and suspension rigidity should all the time be discovered to attain optimum ground dynamics. Moreover, it is usually doable to make sure that the bars used to attain a very good setup are much less inflexible by default. This side shouldn’t be essentially tied to the usage of a push-rod system. Ferrari might make a number of mechanical changes with out overhauling your complete setup.
This is the reason we don’t count on a radical change, both when it comes to the format or the kinematics. It appears extra probably that a number of refinements have been made to regulate each areas associated to the rear suspension. These modifications may not be instantly seen to the bare eye however are based mostly on the technical understanding gathered in 2024, a transfer to optimize the efficiency of the brand new ground. This might be what Frederic Vasseur meant when he said that just one% of the Ferrari SF-24’s parts would stay unchanged in 2025.
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