The secret behind Ferrari's straight-line boost at Italian GP

Ferrari's upgrades in Italy did not merely centre around the upgraded power unit and the modifications permitted under second phase of ADUO [Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities].

The Italian squad entered its home round as it seeks to climb onto the top step of the podium on home soil once again, having last done so in 2024.

Given the unique characteristics of this circuit, which favours aerodynamic efficiency, the Scuderia has sought to find the optimum compromise between the load generated by the bodywork and straight-line efficiency.

Straight-line speed has been a consistent weakness for Ferrari this year, and has been a point of frustration for both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at times.

At Monza, the modification made to the FTM [flick tail mode] profile stands out, as it is now made up of a wide vertical slit that effectively divides the previously single profile into two distinct sections.

The aim of this wide vertical slit is to allow the exhaust gases to flow more freely, in such a way as to exploit the intake and exhaust air pressures in favour of a, albeit slight, increase in the power delivered at the highest engine speeds.

In practice, the engineers have considered that the slight loss of downforce caused by the smaller surface area of the modified FTM is more than compensated for by the increase in PU performance on a circuit where even the smallest advantage in terms of power can provide a benefit on the long straights.

Ferrari managed to top the first practice session with Hamilton and Leclerc finishing in first and second, respectively, while Leclerc kept himself in the fight at the front once again during FP2.

Saturday's sessions will issue further clues into just how much performance the team is gaining with its upgrades - but as always, these modifications are compromise choices.

While slightly reducing the downforce generated through the main profile of the rear wing, which is partly fed by the FTM, this does not result in less rear grip, both because the downforce is reduced by very little and because, as speed increases, a high level of aerodynamic support is obtained on the rear axle.