F1, Ferrari: new SF-24 updates, change of tone, and concentration. How Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio are expected to impact Ferrari.

We have already said everything about Ferrari’s weekend in the Singapore Grand Prix. A Formula 1 event where once again the red team lost badly. Yes, badly, because when you have the car to take pole position on a track where starting from pole is fundamental, where if nothing strange happens, such as Safety Car or mistakes, you have victory in your pocket, completely messing up qualifying by starting tenth and ninth is just foolish. The reasons don’t matter; what counts is that it should not have happened at all. Period. If it does happen, it means the team is still not ready to fight for the top.

Is this reasoning too harsh? Perhaps… but it corresponds to the reality of the facts. To win in this 2024 Formula 1 season, in addition to a significant technical level, a lot of concentration is needed. No mistakes, therefore, and maximizing the race weekend. This is because the distances between the top teams are quite small, and every little factor divides those who win from those who watch the winners with bitterness. Getting the car setup right is necessary. We can say that at least in the last three races after the break, Ferrari has done quite well in this regard. Those were not the issues, in fact.

Frederic Vasseur is the captain of a Prancing Horse that sometimes trots toward “who knows where.” The horse gets distracted a lot, often precisely when it shouldn’t. In crucial moments, that is, like in Q3 at the Marina Bay street circuit. But we already know this. The ever-jovial Fred Vasseur blames no one. Or at least this is what he claims in front of the media. It would be worth understanding his attitude in the back rooms of Maranello. From what we gather, the Frenchman is anything but soft. On the contrary, mid-week reprimands are frequent, although his judgment is generally sound. This is what those who have experienced some of them have told us.

However, there is one aspect that should be considered in this context: continuing with the mantra of “we need to be more focused” when, on the track, the level of attention consistently drops, see Baku, by losing the position to Oscar Piastri, or Singapore, due to the warm-up cycle in Q3, resembles very much the verbal strategy of former team boss Mattia Binotto. In that case, it was the classic “we need to understand,” and there too, like now, the result was always the same: they didn’t understand a thing or almost. All this to say that words matter, of course, but actions undoubtedly matter more, especially in the current Formula 1.

Ferrari has three weeks to prepare in the best possible way for the last stint of the 2024 Formula 1 season, a championship full of regrets. Without the three months of suffering from the Spanish Grand Prix until the summer break, where the Maranello team completely lost its way, struggling here and there, the possibility of fighting for both world championships until the end could have existed. Another aspect that enrages Ferrari fans is the fact that it’s McLaren which is taking the power away from Red Bull, a team that until a year and a half ago was lost in the midfield.

The British team is taking things very seriously. At the start of this season, they brought in former Red Bull member Rob Marshall as technical director. Yesterday, they officially announced another “catch” coming from Milton Keynes, a figure that Frederic Vasseur would describe as a “top guy.” This is Will Courtenay, a strategy expert, who joins the Woking team as sporting director. Two key pieces, to which we must add Zak Brown’s brilliant intuition of putting former Ferrari member Andrea Stella in charge of the team. A “simple F1 engineer” who is proving perfectly capable of handling the command chair.

The Italian talks a lot, just like his friend – enemy Fred Vasseur. However, unlike the Frenchman, he also delivers results, which are precisely what the red team is lacking. Let’s be clear… McLaren has also made many mistakes. If they hadn’t, they would be at the top of both championship standings by now. However, the progression of the papaya-colored cars is truly something unique in the top category, and obviously, a large part of the credit goes to the Italian engineer, who is skilled at bringing the right people in and placing them in suitable positions. All that’s left is for us to tip our hats to his work: chapeau!

We would like to say the same for Frederic Vasseur. Compliments to the Frenchman are due. Let’s not forget where Ferrari was when he arrived and where it is now. The French manager has also brought in technicians, but he made a serious mistake: not hiring the right one. We’re referring to the Adrian Newey issue, which, although dismissed with phrases like “one person doesn’t make a difference” or “we focus on the team to win,” will likely weigh heavily on the future of the Maranello team. Adrian Newey should have been hired; everything else is just bar talk.

Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio, or “Ludovico and Geronimo,” if we want to Italianize their names, since both have Italian origins. Two guys who speak Fred Vasseur’s mother tongue. Loic Serra is fully French, while Jérôme d’Ambrosio is Belgian by passport. Now, considering that Ferrari’s last winning cycle was directed by Jean Todt, born in Pierrefort, France, we can only cling to the “Francophone cabal.” At the same time, the wise and seasoned know-it-alls have always said that to win in Formula 1, you need Englishmen, because a team predominantly made up of Italian will never get far.

Jokes aside, speaking at a technical level, we can say that Loic Serra’s preparation is undoubtedly very high. His influence has already been felt, as if Ferrari has learned to manage the tires during the race, part of the credit goes to the advice of the engineer from Nancy, who, despite his gardening leave, has been “spilling” consultations and recommendations on how to manage the Pirelli compounds for months. His arrival in Maranello is extremely positive. It cannot be seen any other way. Anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken, in our view.

However, the former Mercedes employee takes on a role that perhaps was intended for others, more prepared to fill that position. If that were not the case, the doubts about his role would not have existed back then. So, are we talking about a fallback? Who knows… it could be. Or maybe, simply, Ferrari has realized that Loïc Serra, although he has never held the position of technical director, actually brings with him enough experience to do so. We’ll see. Some additional doubts arise regarding Jerome d’Ambrosio’s abilities and partly about his placement.

He will primarily oversee the Driver’s Academy as director. Considering that the Belgian is a former driver of decent success, it seems like a fitting choice. His other role is as “Deputy Team Principal” directly reporting to Frederic Vasseur. Essentially, a trusted squire who will assist the Ferrari team principal in his tasks. Here some uncertainties arise. They are not the best looking in the only photo released by Ferrari. But fortunately, what matters in Formula 1 is something else entirely. In a week, they will officially be at work dressed in red, hoping their support isn’t overwhelmed by the “distraction” that often resides in Maranello.

Two individuals who should add that “concentration” so much desired by Frederic Vasseur in order to achieve the expected results. We will see them in Austin, round 19 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, where the Italian team will bring further updates on the SF-24. We’re talking about what are colloquially referred to as “minor updates,” which, however, could be useful to further refine the car’s performance on a “real” track, where the data collected will provide more effective feedback on the latest updates related to the floor and front wing. We await the end of the three-week break and see what happens.