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Comfort - For the most part. The bike is more than the frame, but you should be in the same ballpark of comfort. Especially with the suspension do-hickie.
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Solo speed penalty - shouldn’t be any on the same wheels/tires assuming the same fit and other stuff.
Rollingwise, they’re the same to the ground.
Aerowise they’re both round tube bikes (bad for air). The Diverge can take wider tires,so the fork is wider at the top, but the same at the hub - this doesn’t actually hurt aero and is probably better. The Synapse probably has better shaped fork legs. Everything else is probably equal If you’re building from the ground up, I’d suggest aero bars (3T aero gravel / FSA AGX / Specialzed ones) for comfort and speed. -
Drafting - the goal of that geometry change is to put the front tire out a bit further to give your foot some tire clearance when turning (toe overlap). It is also ‘slacker’, again further out tire. Every cm your body is behind the rider in front of you costs you speed/power.
How close do you need to be to benefit from drafting? | Cycling Weekly
The above assumes stale winds, but with some crosswind that distance is even more critical. Additionally, the further back you go, the draft is less stable. The Diverge is 45mm longer than your Cannondale, of which 30mm is in the front - probably costing you a few percentage points.
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