Technical Insight: The upgrades giving Ferrari a big boost in Imola

Ferrari appeared to be the standout car in Imola in terms of a jump in performance, with its SF21 enjoying in a very competitive Friday practice session compared to three weeks ago in Bahrain.

Ferrari have introduced a raft of updates for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with a modification to the floor as well as various aerodynamic devices fitted to the front, middle and rear.

But the upgrade in performance may also be partly track and temperature related, with the SF21 perhaps better suited to a circuit with heavier braking zones and cooler conditions.

Nonetheless Ferrari’s long run pace on Friday looked impressive, with Charles Leclerc saying it’s “difficult to believe” how quick they are.

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A slightly duller setup compared to Bahrain was evident on Friday with the debut of the spoon rear wing, with the main profile more neutral in incidence on the outermost part. This is to reduce drag, and take advantage of the long main straight of the Imola circuit. The T-Wing has also been removed.

From the data that emerged from the first race in Bahrain, it seemed clear that Ferrari had not yet achieved an optimal balance on its SF21. A resultant car that was quite slippery, and tended to oversteer when exiting corners. In Bahrain it suffered a lot from the high winds and sandy covered surface.

A more optimal balance has been found in Emilia Romagna, having analysed the data collected in Bahrain with a three-week gap. This points to an excellent correlation between track data and data observed at the factory in Maranello.

From an aerodynamic point of view, the milder temperatures allowed Ferrari to adopt a more closed engine cover at the rear, where it is quite easy to see the difference in cooling requirements. From the image below you can see how the more closed solution [V2] highlights how the air vents do not go beyond the height of the upper suspension arms, clearly improving aerodynamic efficiency.

Aerodynamic updates also concern the front-wing, with both drivers testing different configurations of the incidence of the spoilers. The final choice, however, seems to fall on the wing used in Bahrain, which offers greater downforce.

You can clearly see the difference in the wing by comparing the ‘Mission’ part of the Mission Winnow sponsor decal, which is almost cut off in the Imola-spec wing.

Finally, the real technical innovation concerns the new floor, used on Friday only by Carlos Sainz. The new specification features the “Z” shape in the central part, inspired by Mercedes.

The three vortex generators have also disappeared, which in the new version have been replaced by a single flow diverter placed right at the height of the step. The aim of this is to create a vortex of air, helping to seal the floor by keeping unwanted low pressure air from entering.

The new floor seems to have convinced the Ferrari engineers to bring the same version to Charles Leclerc on Saturday, so that it can also be used for qualifying and the race on both cars, given the positive feedback it has provided.

The bodywork itself is designed to channel airflow to the floor and diffuser parts, through hollowed sides that exploit the Coanda-effect. The downwash increases the air flow in the floor area, increasing its aerodynamic efficiency.