The Senior Director of Performance Engineering at Ferrari, Jock Clear, stated that the team’s new Formula 1 car for 2024 is not intimidating its drivers like its predecessor. The team decided to start from scratch this season, abandoning the sidepod solution they had initially implemented for the new ground effect. Ferrari sought to create a more flexible car, eliminating previous tendencies of wind sensitivity. Charles Leclerc expressed satisfaction with Ferrari’s progress during winter testing, which translated into the team achieving the second-best time in the opening races. Both Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz secured third places, while rookie Oliver Bearman managed to finish seventh in Jeddah. Although Red Bull and Max Verstappen remain the team to beat, Ferrari believes it now has a solid foundation to build on in their pursuit of dominant champions. Clear described Ferrari’s new car as “a bit sturdier and with more chocolate,” indicating that it offers enhanced performance in terms of downforce, power, and weight reduction. He also highlighted significant progress in terms of drivability, with both drivers feeling more comfortable with the car’s consistency and predictability. The car no longer intimidates them when facing variable wind conditions or when following another car on the track.
Ferrari emphasized that reducing tire degradation is a specific area of improvement targeted for their redesigned car. The initial races have shown promising signs in this regard. However, Clear acknowledges that Ferrari cannot confidently claim to have completely resolved this long-standing issue. Nevertheless, he believes that the improvements made can be attributed to the previous season.
Clear explained that they identified the factors contributing to the improvement of tire degradation. This criticism was directed at them two years ago and at the beginning of last year. However, when they arrived in Vegas last year, they demonstrated that Charles could manage the tires as effectively as Max. Therefore, Clear believes they have a good understanding of this area and hopes to continue progressing in the right direction.
The former Mercedes engineer pointed out that the early schedule for the Suzuka race on this year’s calendar will provide teams with a reliable assessment of their overall performance. He emphasized that Suzuka is a challenging circuit that can effectively measure a car’s capabilities. Therefore, teams will gain valuable information from this race, which will contribute to a better understanding of their package.
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