On the second day of pre-season testing, Carlos Sainz completed his race pace simulation in the Ferrari SF-24. The immediate comparison, awaiting Max Verstappen, is with Sergio Perez at the helm of the RB20.
The Spaniard displays a genuinely enviable low-degradation trend, arguably on par or even better than that of the Mexican (who, however, ran in the morning). We have decided to compare Carlos Sainz’s simulation with the race pace of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc seen in last year’s Grand Prix.
Ferrari SF-24: Comparison with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz completed a first stint with C3 tires, a second one with C2, and the final one with C1, totaling 58 laps. One more lap than in the Grand Prix of the previous year.
The average held by Carlos Sainz with the SF-24 was 1:36.870.
Looking at the data from last year, Max Verstappen had an average lap time of 1:37.460, and Charles Leclerc, even more, at 1:38.330.
The 2024 Ferrari F1 car is, therefore, almost six-tenths faster (-0.59s) than the RB19 and even nearly one and a half seconds faster (-1.46s) than the SF-23.
Ferrari: Top in the third sector, engine still down
In addition to this, the recorded straight-line data showed a top speed 9 km/h slower than last year’s Ferrari. A significant observation indicating that the SF-24 was still running with more conservative mappings.
More generally, Carlos Sainz’s telemetry highlights a Ferrari that performs exceptionally well in the corners of the last sector. A data point that, as you may recall, also distinguished the F1-75 in 2022.
It seems, therefore, that the SF-24 single-seater can boast significantly improved aerodynamic load compared to the SF-23. However, this does not necessarily mean being ahead of Red Bull. But a potential role as the second force would be an excellent starting point to challenge Adrian Newey & Co.
Source: f1ingenerale
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