What can we expect from Ferrari this year? The initial data leaked from the simulator suggests a red car about 0.7 seconds faster than the SF23. Will it be enough to close in on their rivals? The feeling is that 2024 will be a season of hopes and transition for the Maranello team…
In Formula 1, all the teams will return to work shortly after the Christmas holidays. Among them will, of course, be Ferrari, which must erase a 2023 Formula One season that proved to be far below expectations. Especially after what was seen in the 2022 season when, until the midseason, they were on par with Red Bull… Then we all know how it ended in 2022 and 2023…
For this season, the minimum goal for the Maranello team is to get closer (if possible) to Red Bull, which, on paper, will still be the favorite for the 2024 F1 championship. It’s clear that the first rumors about the new cars will leak early in the new year, with Ferrari always being the first to make a strong statement on this matter.
According to what was reported in a recent edition of the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, simulator data indicates a 2024 Ferrari about 0.7 seconds faster than the SF23. Of course, these data will be confirmed or denied immediately on the track after the presentation of the new Prancing Horse car. The new red car will be unveiled on February 13 at Fiorano, and right after, there will be the first laps on the Modena track with the two main drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
But it’s clear that the first real indications for the Ferrari technicians will come in the pre-season tests in Bahrain when the other nine F1 teams will also be on the track. Then, are these presumed 0.7 seconds gained over the SF23 real, or is the Scuderia adopting some kind of pre-tactic (hopefully) against the competitors? Because unless there are completely wrong projects, even the competitors will bring faster cars than in 2023… And based on the values at the end of 2023, well, the red car has a long way to go… Being “winter champions” in words doesn’t serve any purpose! Even more so if, in the first race, you end up 30 seconds behind the winner…
But returning to the Ferrari F1 project for 2024, Corriere dello Sport emphasizes the presence of Rory Byrne as a supervisor. He is often present in Maranello. Another noteworthy news in the Italian team is the exit of Inaki Rueda from the Formula 1 project. However, it seems that the Spaniard will remain in Maranello in another branch of the company. Ravin Jain is confirmed as the head of Ferrari’s pit wall operations. Former Mercedes member Loic Serra will have to wait until the end of 2024 to operate in Maranello.
In short, at Ferrari, there is a team that is about to be rebuilt piece by piece by Fred Vasseur. An open construction site, in other words… But at the moment, those prominent technicians from other F1 teams still seem not to have arrived! 2024 (already started) will be a year of transition and hopes for Ferrari, and perhaps we will have to wait until 2025 to provide proper feedback… Of course, it would be fantastic to be proven wrong right away!
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