Ferrari defied expectations to claim their first race win of 2024 in Australia, a result that Fred Vasseur believes is evidence Red Bull can be challenged. Although the Frenchman still sees the RB20 as the benchmark, he is confident that the SF-24 will be a legitimate threat.
The Australian GP was a brilliant weekend for Ferrari on a number of counts. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc secured a maximum of 44 points for the Maranello squad in Melbourne, silencing pre-season questions about the Scuderia’s potential.
As already demonstrated in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the SF-24 proved a consistent and compliant machine. Unlike its predecessors, it gives drivers enough confidence to push without fear of losing the car.
However, the Italian outfit’s next question to answer is whether they can continue to pressure Red Bull. Race victories will be the target moving forward, although regularly outperforming the reigning F1 Champion still seems beyond reach.
FERRARI WANT TO KEEP PRESSURE ON RED BULL
Moving forward, Fred Vasseur emphasised the importance of maintaining this form and forcing Red Bull into mistakes:
“This weekend I think it’s good evidence that when we are putting everything together – and I’m not sure that we’ll be able to do it every single weekend – we can put them a little bit under pressure.
“And it’s when they are under pressure that they will also make more mistakes,” he told Sky Sports.
“We have to continue in this direction. We are much more confident of the fact that we can manage this kind of event.”
Predicting Ferrari as a potential Championship contender seems far too hasty at this stage. Instead, a more tentative assessment would put them as consistent podium finishers and semi-regular contenders for race victories.
Still, it should be noted that performance will inevitably fluctuate across F1 2024. Upgrades will arrive at the Japanese GP, whilst a larger haul of improvements are scheduled for home soil Imola.
For Fred Vasseur, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, keeping their momentum from Albert Park will be essential. Suzuka is not a circuit that will necessarily suit the SF-24, especially relative to Red Bull. Max Verstappen was in a league of his own when the F1 circus visited the event last year.
In this sense, Ferrari’s objective is not to blow the RB20 out of the water every weekend. Instead, a more realistic objective is to be within striking distance of pressuring Christian Horner’s team and giving them more headaches than they experienced last year.
