Ferrari was the fastest team in the three days of pre-season testing, setting the fastest time on two of the three days of testing. The SF-24 also set the fastest overall time, albeit on softer tyres than those used by Red Bull.
The reliability of the Italian engine was also important, with the SF-24 completing 416 laps. Only Haas, who also uses a Ferrari power unit, completed more laps.
However, the SF-24 is not considered the favourite to win the first GP of the season. Red Bull are still the favourites.
The SF-24 is a more predictable car
The SF-24 is the Italian team’s first full downwash car. It should, therefore, not be surprising how conservative it is in certain technical aspects.
However, being conservative does not necessarily mean being slow. The objectives to be achieved with the 676 project were very clear.
“Last year, we had a very difficult car to drive. It was quite inconsistent and very sensitive to external factors such as, for example, asphalt and wind,” said team principal Fred Vasseur.
Pre-season testing has yielded many positive responses. The SF-24 is a more sincere and predictable car than its predecessor.
“We have made a good step forward. The feedback from the drivers is very positive because they feel they are in a much better position in the car,” the Ferrari boss explained.
The SF-24 has improved a lot in medium speed corners, the aerodynamic load has increased without penalizing efficiency.
The front is more solid, and above all, the balance is now more neutral. However, the Bahrain circuit, being very rear-limited, will not be the best case study for this area.
From this point of view, Montmelò would certainly have been a better track, especially to understand the steps forward in the front end fully.
No important innovations were introduced in the three days other than a slightly different beam wing specification. The same consistency will be the case for the first Grand Prix of the weekend
The SF-24 suits Leclerc’s driving style better
The driver who seems to be able to benefit most from the goodness of the SF-24 is Charles Leclerc. Since last year’s Japanese GP, he has consistently felt more comfortable behind the wheel.
Ferrari’s 2024 car is another step forward from this point of view. In general, it seems better adapted to the driving styles of the two drivers. The same cannot be said about last year’s package.
Leclerc demonstrated in Bahrain that he can go back to driving the way he likes, preferring an approach with more corner travel rather than using sharp trajectories, as Sainz likes to do.
In the tests, it was noticed that Leclerc and Sainz drove quite differently.
The Monegasque braked earlier and had, therefore, less grip on the brakes on entry and partially the accelerator when travelling to be able to control the rear and be more ready on exit.
Race simulation for Ferrari with maps already advanced to obtain important data on tyre consumption
The Ferrari is the car that was least hidden in the race simulation.
For the Maranello-based team, it was critical to get a representative picture from testing.
Therefore, the engine mappings used on day three of testing will not be too different from next week. The two drivers used different setups – from both a mechanical and aerodynamic point of view.
Leclerc opted for a lower load on the rear, which on a track limited at the rear could have put the tyres in difficulty.
Thankfully for Ferrari, wear was limited – especially considering the Monegasque’s much faster pace than Sainz.
Thanks to his driving style he managed to manage the greatest oversteer, thus managing the overheating of the rear axle.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen instead decided not to reveal their cards. They carried out some runs on the afternoon of day 3 – keeping the same fuel but using different compounds.
The Dutch driver’s significant advantage compared to Leclerc should not be surprising. According to a rival team, the reigning Champion was running 20kg less fuel (worth around five-tenths).
However, Red Bull sandbagging wasn’t limited to that choice, as Verstappen drove all runs in a very cautious hybrid mode.
Also, for these reasons, the tyre management of the Dutch champion proved to be practically perfect without any sign of degradation on the three compounds used (C1, C2 and C3).
Author: Piergiuseppe Donadoni
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
