Ferrari SF-24 on track at the pit boxes. May 16, 2024. Formula 1 World Championship, Stage 7, Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Imola, Italy, Preparation Day.
Charles Leclerc managed expectations regarding Ferrari’s updates for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, stating that he anticipates “minimal progress.”
Ferrari will introduce a significant upgrade package in Imola in an attempt to close the gap with Red Bull and keep up with McLaren, which emerged victorious in the previous race in Miami.
The team chose to use their remaining filming days last week to test the new components on the SF-24, which includes further development towards the Red Bull concept.
However, Leclerc believes that the updates will only provide a slight improvement to address the weakness that Ferrari openly acknowledged in their low-speed cornering capabilities in 2024.
“The overall goal, of course, is to enhance the car in a way that has been meticulously planned and considered for some time,” explained the Monaco driver.
“We were not able to immediately react to the car’s initial shortcomings. However, the goal was to make it a much more complete vehicle. That was the main objective.
“We conducted most of the testing in the simulator, rather than at Fiorano, as it was mainly for filming purposes. We did not test anything out of the ordinary.
“We took small steps in the right direction. Now we have to wait and see if we can translate the gains we observed in the simulator to reality, which I hope we can.”
Similarly, Carlos Sainz expressed doubts about Ferrari’s ability to compete with Red Bull and emphasized the need for further advances to address the team’s deficiencies. When asked if these improvements would be enough to level the playing field with the Austrian team, Sainz replied: “I believe it will depend on the track. In Miami, our car performed better and we had an impressive pace, although McLaren and Red Bull may have had a slight advantage. Our car returned to normal, but in China, it seemed particularly problematic. Therefore, our performance will depend a lot on the characteristics of each track. I hope Imola is one of those tracks where we excel and provide a great show for the spectators. We must continue to develop our car for tracks like China, as there are certain corners where we are currently struggling and we need to progress in that sense.”
Leclerc echoed his teammate’s feelings about Ferrari’s competitiveness based on the specific characteristics of each track. He experienced a significant change in performance, going from starting on the fourth row in China to the front row in Miami. When asked to explain the disparity in pace between the two races, Leclerc explained: “I believe this is mainly due to the track characteristics. In China, we had a good setup and maximized the car’s potential. However, certain corners presented significant challenges, resulting in a substantial loss of time, especially after qualifying. In just the first sector, we were losing three or four tenths of a second. Despite performing well in the second and third sectors, it was too late to recover what we had lost in the first sector. The nature of the Shanghai track did not suit our car very well. On the other hand, in Miami, we did not encounter those problematic corners where the car did not behave as expected.”
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