Throughout the 2024 Formula 1 championship, Red Bull hasn’t enjoyed a car as dominant as in the past two seasons. Mercedes and McLaren seem to have closed most of the gap that separated them against the Austrian side, especially as the season progressed, while Ferrari started in a strong way, earning the status of Red Bull’s main challenger in the start of the championship, but unfortunately the SF-24 lost some ground after the introduction of the two aerodynamic update packages that did not bring the expected result for now.
Still, in 2024, Ferrari has won two Grands Prix: Carlos Sainz took the race win at the Albert Park circuit in the Australian Grand Prix, while his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc won on the streets of Monte Carlo in the Monaco Grand Prix, his home race. Lando Norris’s McLaren also managed to beat Max Verstappen and achieve his first career victory, just like his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, while Mercedes finished on a high note ahead of the summer break, with future Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton securing two race wins in the last three rounds.
When asked about his thoughts on the current situation regarding close competition at the top of the Formula 1 grid, Charles Leclerc said: “It’s positive. It’s positive for Formula 1. However, we need to focus on ourselves, and I would prefer a boring F1 with a dominant Ferrari rather than an exciting F1 with us struggling. So, we still have work to do, and obviously, every weekend we need to be at our best and maximize all the points, especially considering the small gaps between the teams. I think that’s what we’ve done extremely well most of the times so far. But there are the things we need to look into and be ready” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.
In contrast to last season, Ferrari remains a strong contender for the Constructors’ Championship in 2024. The Italian team trails Red Bull by 63 points, with the leaders struggling recently due to Sergio Perez’s poor performances and increased competition for Max Verstappen.
After the summer break, the Maranello team will aim to regain their early-season momentum. While rivals have made significant strides, Ferrari has faltered, causing them to slip in the standings. However, with ten races remaining, they still have a realistic chance to overtake both McLaren and Red Bull if they can turn their form around.
Simultaneously, the Italian side will need to fend off Mercedes, who have been rapidly closing in since introducing their latest aero upgrades. The Silver Arrows’ resurgence shows no signs of slowing down, and Scuderia Ferrari will need to find peak performance at the crucial moment to maximize their championship bid and secure their first title since 2008.
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