Ferrari has no intention of being complacent. Fred Vasseur and his engineers working to bring forward their upgrades in time for Japan. After an encouraging weekend in Australia, it will be essential to analyse the data to optimise the SF-24’s existing platform before increasing its potential.
Less than two years ago, Ferrari was the victim of a technical directive that hampered its performance. This directive had ramifications for last season’s package, which failed to deliver the lap times the simulation tools in Maranello suggested.
This discrepancy forced the Italian outfit to cut their losses and make significant alterations. However, the pain from twelve months ago is paying off. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both confirmed the winning characteristics of their 2024 challenger at Albert Park.
Arguably, the most favourable data point for the Scuderia in Australia was their tyre degradation – or lack thereof. Evidently, Max Verstappen’s retirement makes it difficult to assess how competitive the RB20 could have been.
LECLERC Charles (mco), Scuderia Ferrari SF-24, during the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024, 3rd round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship from March 22 to 24, 2024 on the Albert Park Circuit, in Melbourne, Australia – Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI
FRED VASSEUR IS POSITIVE BUT KEEPS WIDER PERSPECTIVE
Team Principal Fred Vasseur is well aware of Formula 1’s cutthroat nature. Ferrari knows better than most teams about the challenge of sustaining a strong development trajectory across a season.
With this in mind, the 55-year-old refuses to be swept by the moment of Sainz’s Australia win:
“We have been quick all weekend right from the first free practice.
“I think we have made a good step forward compared to where we were one year ago, when we left Melbourne having failed to score points.
“We were not disappointed with our results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, nor are we getting carried away because of this one-two finish.
“We must continue with this approach in the coming races because that’s the only way we are going to get the results we want.”
Still, Ferrari held its own in a race where tyre degradation was higher than usual. Sainz’s ability to extend his first two stints and minimise risk was a critical aspect of his afternoon. Aside from his team radio message in the penultimate lap, the Spaniard was very much driving within himself.
FERRARI AND RED BULL PREPARE UPDATES
Technical Director Enrico Cardile and his technical department designed a new rear wing that made its debut in Melbourne. This was the first 2024 performance update of the SF-24, marking the beginning of a long development journey that is starting to intensify.
Though it seems like a lifetime ago now, the SF-24 was widely criticised at its pre-season launch for its relatively basic design.
Across F1 news outlets and social media channels, the consensus was that Ferrari’s 2024 package was overly conservative. To some degree, this is true. Ferrari is still learning about a car that is very different from its predecessor.
Nevertheless, the conclusions that arrived in early February were premature. If anything, the team’s 1-2 in Australia confirms that their package is competitive and, subject to the correct modifications, capable of progressing.
Ferrari is working to bring forward its 2024 upgrades at round 4 in Japan. Because the Chinese GP will be a Sprint weekend, teams will generally avoid introducing new concepts at the fifth race weekend of 2024.
Of course, Fred Vasseur’s team will not be alone. Red Bull are also introducing upgrades in Suzuka. These changes are expected to be quite drastic, with reports of an even more extreme RB20 filtering during pre-season.
Ultimately, it is unclear how visibly and substantively different the evolved RB20 will be. Still, Ferrari cannot afford to stay still – even with their encouraging position in the Championship. Although McLaren’s upgrades are not scheduled for some time, the MCL38 remains a threat, especially at circuits more favourable to the Woking-produced machine.
