In contrast to Red Bull Racing’s RB20, Ferrari’s new car passed the crash test, which was completed in Bollate, according to the Italian branch of Motorsport.com. According to the generally well-established media, the new chassis of the 676, as the name of the successor to the SF-23 is, has already been approved by the FIA.
The Ferrari team therefore seems to have an advantage over Red Bull’s championship formation by at least one point. According to the medium, the 676, which will be presented at Ferrari’s test circuit in Fiorano on February 13, meets all safety requirements set by the FIA. This means that Ferrari’s first goal for 2024 has been achieved.
The new chassis, designed by Fabio Montecchi, is significantly different from that of the SF-23 and appears to be positioned slightly further behind the driver’s shoulders to comply with the new roll bar homologation rules. Following the accident of Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou during the 2022 British Grand Prix, the FIA ​​had decided to increase static test loads. The teams were given until 2024 by Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s technical manager, to adapt the bodywork of the cars.
Red Bull fails frontal crash test
Last week, Motorsport.com reported that the RB20, the new battle weapon of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, had failed the crash test. However, this is a requirement to get a homologated chassis for the new season. In the case of Red Bull, it would only concern the frontal test, in which the nose would not have sufficiently absorbed the impact, which would also have damaged the chassis. It is not yet clear whether failure to pass the crash test will also have consequences for the presentation moment of the RB20.
