Analysis: The Baku upgrades Ferrari hope will close the gap to Mercedes

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto raised expectations of the team’s performance by revealing it would bring its first significant upgrade for the SF90.

The team emerged from pre-season testing looking strong, but in first three races Ferrari have flattered to deceive. Having shown pace and balance around Barcelona, the SF90 has since exhibited problems with low-speed understeer, fast-corner grip and power unit reliability.

Despite this the car has shown little in the way of visible updates, only the revised Control Electronics being fitted to correct the short circuit which cost Charles Leclerc victory in Bahrain. The chassis updates predicted for Baku may have been expected to be significant, but what has been seen so far is a series of minor modifications to existing parts, allied to a race-specific low-drag rear wing.

What can be seen on the car, as it was presented to scrutineering, was a collection of interrelated updates from the front turning vanes, back to the bargeboards, floor edge and ending at the diffuser. There may be more updates yet to be seen on the car, other aero changes which are less visible and changes to the car under the skin. But this update package is not necessarily the cure to the Ferrari’s handling deficiencies.

The update does not have any major new parts or changes concepts, indicating this is more likely to be a package developed and signed-off early season which has only now been manufactured and brought to the track.

In detail the new package starts with the front turning vanes mounted under the nose, with subtle variations in the leading edges of the hanging vanes.

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The bargeboards equally have had updates, the vertical vanes mounted on the footplate section of the set up are different. Not necessarily more complex as the front row of three vanes (1) has been replaced with a single larger vane, while the intermediate vanes (2 and 3) are multiplied in number. Additionally, there is a dive plane (4) added to the bottom of the stack of sidepod mounted vanes.

Along the floor edge a series of three small vertical vanes have been added to the area ahead of the rear tyres. Then at the back of the car, the complex vanes on the outer corner of the diffuser are updated, in shape rather than number.

These updates need to be considered as a package, so their effect is likely to be greater than the benefit of the individual parts. Despite the apparent disparate nature of their positioning, they are all working with the same airflow, the Y250 airflow kicked up by the front wing.

The front turning vanes will help increase the power the Y250 vortex, as will be the numerous bargeboard vanes and the floor edge fins. This leaves only the diffuser treatment sitting out of the Y250 airflow which is directed outboard of the rear tyres.

Thus, they can be summarised as aero efficiency changes: they will not add downforce directly to the car, but will improve the aerodynamic efficiency at the rear of the SF90. This improvement in the trade-off between lift and drag means Ferrari could run more downforce for the same top speed or conversely run more top speed for the same downforce level.

It could be argued the potential to run more downforce will aid Ferrari’s ailments, but it’s doubtful these changes are of the order required to reverse the car’s current performance deficit to Mercedes.

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