Carlos Sainz stated that Ferrari has improved its tactical decisions thanks to the SF24.
Scuderia Ferrari has made significant progress compared to 2023. Maranello seems to be closely following Red Bull this season and even came out victorious in . The Italian team was previously known for making poor decisions during races. However, there seems to be a change this year. Now, Sainz has revealed the main factor behind Ferrari’s enhanced race strategy.
The Spanish driver emphasized that Scuderia has advanced in all areas over the past three seasons. However, there has been a significant leap in race strategy this season. Sainz attributed this substantial improvement solely to the SF24.
The 29-year-old driver stated that Ferrari’s challenger of 2024 allowed the Italian team to employ more flexible strategic choices, which was not possible last year. Carlos Sainz admitted that in 2023, Ferrari was forced to make pit stops on specific laps due to the absence of such options with the SF-23. This led many to believe that Maranello was making poor race decisions.
Maranello suffered significant tire degradation last season with the SF-23. Carlos Sainz pointed out that this prevented Ferrari from extending their stints compared to rivals who gained an advantage over the Italian team. Poor strategies cost Sainz and Scuderia valuable points in the last two seasons.
As a result, Carlos Sainz stated that a car kinder to the tires allowed him and his team to push more during the race. This feature of the SF-24 provided Ferrari with the much-needed flexibility in race strategy, which could allow them to challenge Red Bull this season.
Without a doubt, Ferrari seems to benefit greatly from the SF-24. The 2024 challenger not only has the speed to compete against the Red Bull RB20, but also addresses a significant weakness. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will be looking to take advantage of the team’s strategic options in the upcoming races. However, it remains to be seen if Maranello will be able to fully exploit this attribute.
