Stop, analyze, restart. Three actions that Ferrari has carried out and is still executing. After a challenging year, finishing below the imaginable minimum before the season began, Maranello is studying corporate strategies and implementing technical projects aimed at bringing the 2024 car (currently marked by the number 676) as close to the top of F1 as possible, if not surpassing the Red Bull RB19.
During the 22 races of the 2023 championship, despite the Scuderia “snatching” the only stage victory from the Anglo-Austrian rivals, the gap from the blue cars was never reduced. At some point, it became evident to everyone that the concept defined in 2022 and reiterated, refined, and evolved this season could neither guarantee a concrete recovery nor provide a development path on which to base the vehicle that will face fierce competition hungry for victories next year.
Because it’s not just the Red Bull to (try to) catch. Ferrari will have to defend against Aston Martin, which believes it has understood what limited the propulsive thrust seen at the beginning of the season, the usual Mercedes that refuses to acknowledge a crisis, and McLaren, which for half the season has almost always had the upper hand over the SF-23.
Ferrari: Dutch GP a Key Moment for Future Projection
Ferrari’s 2024 season started in the height of summer, specifically in the Netherlands, where Charles Leclerc struggled in qualifying and retired from the race. These episodes also resulted from testing different things that ultimately helped engineers understand which direction to take. “The turning point of the season happened at Zandvoort. We tried completely different things with the two cars, and we learned a lot,” explained the Monegasque to AMuS.
It’s not that Ferrari didn’t experiment in the first part of the season, but the tests conducted did not yield usable results to overcome technical difficulties. “Sometimes Carlos did well, sometimes I did. Other times, nothing worked. That’s why it seemed like we didn’t know what we were doing. But we learned from each of these steps.”
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Even these missteps contributed to understanding how to fix things for 2024. “This is the best you can hope for after a difficult year. Unfortunately, we couldn’t change much this season, but in the medium term, we can take a step forward.” These words offer hope that Ferrari can cut a good portion of the gap that separates it from the leading Red Bull.
The growth of the SF-23 during the season allowed Charles Leclerc to feel more comfortable with a car that was initially far from his preferences. It’s no coincidence that in the final phase, the former Sauber driver was able to reach and surpass Carlos Sainz in the standings, who seemed “more comfortable” with a car slightly biased towards understeer.
“I’m quite satisfied with myself,” noted Charles, who then reiterated how indigestible the SF-23 was for him: “The characteristics of this car did not suit my driving style. We worked on this aspect throughout the season, and gradually, we found a direction that suited me more. The new floor introduced in Japan helped me in a particular way.”
Certainly, not through any fault of his own, Charles Leclerc has a very low conversion rate of pole positions into victories. This means two things: the cars he drove are not “Sunday beasts,” and he has a particular sensitivity when dealing with the stopwatch. Naturally, any driver would want to cross the finish line first, which is what really matters, and Charles is no exception.
“Of course, a pole position is a great feeling. I have already won 23 in my career. However, already on Saturday, I knew that Sunday would be much more difficult. That’s why poles are no longer a real highlight.” The best thing about the Monegasque’s season, beyond the victory in the internal duel, has been contributing to understanding the car, steering it in a direction that, in the medium term, should enable a stable challenge for the top spot.
Ferrari Strengthened by Challenging Moments
Charles Leclerc believes that his team has strengthened in adverse events and recalls the recent past: “After a good 2019, the year in which I achieved my first victories, I wanted more. But a setback came.” The reference is to that Ferrari “hobbled” by the FIA investigation that found regulatory interpretation problems with the power unit. The team had to review some parameters to comply with the rules, undergoing a significant performance setback.
“Since that period,” recalls the FDA driver, “we have learned that it is extremely important not to lose motivation when things are not going well. The team’s response this year has been incredible. No one gave up. There is a much greater willingness to change something during the season. Having understood step by step our weaknesses, the factory has committed to completing some updates sooner.”
“We have made progress, but it hasn’t been enough to reduce the gap from Red Bull. To achieve this goal, it would have been necessary to change other things on the car, which unfortunately cannot be done during the season.” The budget cap and ATR constraints do not offer much room for maneuver, which is why Ferrari cannot afford the luxury of starting the next championship with too far behind.
Source: Diego Catalano for FUnoanalisitecnica
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