Ferrari heads to Belgium aiming to confirm if its recent fixes endure. Meanwhile, Hungary’s updates face a global trial.
Ferrari hopes to end the first part of the 2024 F1 season on a high note at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend. The team will also want to confirm that its developments in Hungary have resolved the issues with bouncing on the car.
“The Belgian Grand Prix will close a particularly busy July for the team on the circuit and for everyone at the Maranello factory,” stated Frédéric Vasseur, director of Scuderia.
“The Spa-Francorchamps circuit will allow us to check if we have done good work over the past weeks to mitigate the side effects in high-speed corners of the upgrade package we introduced recently.”
“The porpoising effect was very low at the Hungaroring, thanks to the evolution of the floor we introduced in Budapest, and we will now see if we have also corrected it on the high-speed circuits. You know that nothing was planned last weekend, and after Silverstone, we pushed like hell in the factory.”
“The parts were in the wind tunnel just after the race in the UK to try to understand, to find solutions. We found solutions. We were able to produce four kits for this weekend. And I want to keep the same momentum. It’s positive for the team.”
“Charles and Carlos have always performed well at Spa, Charles won his very first F1 race there in 2019, and it’s a circuit where the driver’s skill can really make a difference. If we provide them with an SF-24 that they can comfortably push to the limit, I believe we can have a competitive weekend and bring back a lot of points.”
What constraints on the gearbox?
Francesco Carrozzo, Ferrari test engineer and gearbox specialist, explains the challenges presented by the Belgian Ardennes circuit: “Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most iconic venues on the calendar and one of my favorites. Its most famous section is the legendary Eau Rouge-Raidillon turn, which drivers approach at over 300 km/h and which, from the cockpit, looks like a wall to climb.”
“It’s the longest circuit of the season, featuring about 50 gear changes per lap during qualifying. It includes several super-fast sections, which is why the eighth gear is the most used.”
“Then there are slow turns like La Source and the Bus Stop chicane, taken in second gear where the driver must prevent the tires from sliding by carefully controlling the throttle. Finally, there are fast corners like Blanchimont and Eau Rouge, which are again taken at full throttle.”
He outlines the stresses endured by the gearbox during a Grand Prix, a component whose function within the car he explains, and which teams must carefully monitor: “The gearbox is the link between the engine’s torque and the torque transmitted to the ground through the tires.”
“It is subject to all the stresses such as acceleration and loads from the interaction between the rear tires and the track surface, like bumps, curbs, wheel locking, and the car sliding.”
“It must therefore be an extremely versatile and reliable component, given that a unit must be used for several Grands Prix. A great deal of stress also comes from gear shifting, which occurs thousands of times in a single race and must be extremely quick and precise.”
“As for the circuits most demanding on the gearbox, I would definitely say Singapore, where the unusual track layout demands a continuous ‘stop and go’ style from the driver who must constantly change gears, totaling over 8,000 times over the weekend.”
The Italian explains his journey to his current position: “I was born and raised in Sicily, in a small village on the east coast, in the province of Messina. I earned an engineering degree in Catania, then in Turin, where I started working for a few automotive companies.”
“In 2019, I had the opportunity to join Ferrari’s gearbox test group and I did not hesitate to leave Turin for Maranello. I initially worked as a gearbox engineer on the test bench before working on track with customer teams.”
“Last year, I started working with Ferrari’s track team. I am obviously very proud and happy to be part of the Ferrari team, and my family and loved ones feel the same about me.”
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Hungary’s Upgrades Face Ultimate Test on Global Tracks Hungary’s Upgrades Face Ultimate Test on Global Tracks
