Ferrari, Alpine and Williams unveil new upgrades in Singapore
Ferrari arrived in Singapore with a brand new front wing. The Scuderia hopes to achieve additional performance gains after increased competitiveness in recent races. However, it is not the only team making improvements to its car, as Alpine and Williams have also introduced new elements.
The Singapore Grand Prix started this Friday morning with the Free Practice 1. On this occasion, we were able to observe that Ferrari, Alpine, and Williams have decided to bring new improvements to their cars.
Ferrari: more downforce and balance
Although the introduction of an aerodynamic improvement on an urban circuit is rare, the Scuderia has decided to bring a new rear wing to its SF-24.
Jock Clear, senior performance engineer at Ferrari, explained the reasons for this choice: « It’s a track with a lot of drag and high downforce, so the wing is not specific to this circuit, but it simply shifts the energy a little more inside. If you look closer, you will see that the inner part is a bit more aggressive and the outer part a bit less aggressive, so we have slightly modified this dynamic. This allows us to add a little more downforce. »
This change gives the team more flexibility to optimize settings and adjust the aerodynamic balance, a critical factor on a demanding circuit like Marina Bay.
Here, you will probably want to have maximum rear support and achieve good balance. Balance is crucial here, and we have sometimes been a bit stuck on some high-downforce circuits because we lacked front-end power,” added Jock Clear.
The benefits of this new spoiler.
The new version of the front wing takes some design elements from its predecessor, but with a more precise approach. The main change is in the geometry of the flaps, with a modified spoon-shaped transition in the center, thus improving the aerodynamics of the whole. The outer part of the flaps has also been redesigned to better interact with the endplate, changing the airflow and influencing the wake behind the front tires.
« It’s just a little more powerful at high speed, a little more efficient, but it’s really just a little more powerful. This gives us a little more leeway. », Clear added.
Ferrari is also taking advantage of this update to exploit the aerodynamic flexibility of the wing, in response to the recent approval by the FIA for similar solutions adopted by its competitors.
This evolution should provide an additional advantage to the SF-24, especially in demanding racing conditions such as those in Singapore.
Alpine: maximize grip
The French team has also unveiled a rear wing specially designed to meet the demands of high-downforce circuits, such as Singapore. The main plane of the rear wing has been reshaped to increase aerodynamic load, which improves the overall performance of the car.
This modification aims to maximize grip and reduce lap times on a track where downforce plays a crucial role in the competitiveness of the single-seater.
Williams: new evidence for his suspension beforehand
After its good performance in Azerbaijan, Williams made significant changes to the front suspension of its car this weekend. The geometries of the front triangles, steering rods, and connecting rods have been adjusted to improve the airflow around the new surfaces introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix.
These modifications, accompanied by changes to the braking ducts and fairings, optimize the airflow and increase the front load of the car. The objective is to improve the aerodynamic efficiency and overall performance of the single-seater.
Now remains to be seen whether these improvements will truly be effective. For that, a first element of response will be given during the qualifications this Saturday.
