In Formula 1, especially when it comes to Ferrari, there is often a tendency towards pessimism. It’s a common practice because hitting hard on Ferrari has become a classic; many people enjoy it regardless, and generally, it’s good for business as it always attracts views and clicks. However, it would always be wise to try to reason things out. Perhaps by analyzing all the aspects which led to a result in the Spanish Grand Prix that isn’t great but not horrible either. Is finishing in fifth and sixth place acceptable? Clearly no. Is it nice to see that there isn’t perfect harmony among the Ferrari drivers on track? Again, no. Is it wise to judge the updates seen in Spain as incorrect? One again, no.
In Formula 1, it takes time to validate an update package. Sometimes more, sometimes less. What seems wrong, however, is expecting some changes to immediately make a car fly. Other teams have struggled in this regard as well. Mercedes took at least three races to make everything work. Even Red Bull brought various updates that were supposed to create a gap with competitors, a scenario that does not seem to be present. Only McLaren has been truly successful in this aspect, although even in their case, the updates from Miami worked better after three races.
All this to say that the Maranello team has not done a bad job. On the contrary, the results are there. Just observe the onboards of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz when the Spaniard had the new package and the Monegasque was still using the old specification. For the rest, we can say that, with equal rear load, Ferrari’s top speeds have increased. Regarding downforce, there is still work to be done because the setup used during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend was not perfect, which limited the performance of the SF-24 single-seater at the 4.657-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This was a significant issue at Montmelò.
Fortunately, track action returns in a few days. We refer to the eleventh round of the 2024 Formula 1 season, as the premier motorsport category will land in Austria, home of Red Bull. Certainly it is not an easy track, but one that overall is undoubtedly less complicated than the Spanish circuit. This does not mean that Ferrari will start as the favorite. On the contrary, the Spielberg circuit might not suit the Italian team very well. However, by learning from the recent lesson, Ferrari has the chance to present itself in the splendid Austrian setting in the best possible way.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has tried to minimize the controversy regarding Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. He did so by agreeing with the Spaniard in the sense that the close encounter on track, according to the Frenchman, did not affect the final result of car number 16. It remains to be understood, away from the media spotlight, how the situation was managed. “Wash dirty laundry at home,” seems to be the impression of the affair. The ever-cheerful Fred Vasseur usually avoids public disputes. It would serve little purpose since the relationship between the Ferrari drivers must necessarily remain good to perform well.
Again, it’s always Frederic Vasseur. The French manager admits that the results obtained are not satisfactory. However, he does not dramatize about Canada, and specifically regarding the updates, he claims that the numbers gathered over the weekend in Spain are good. The expected ones, to be clear. In other words, to clarify: Ferrari has verified on the track that the values hypothesized in the simulation field for the upgrades match. This means the updates are effective, not wrong. At the same time, it means that the technicians were not able to make them work properly, unfortunately.
That’s why things will change in Austria, or at least this is the operational plan that the Italian team intends to implement. The feedback collected by the Maranello technicians will be crucial. These days, the endless amount of data collected is being analyzed. The goal remains to increase the understanding of the new components, widen the setup window, and enhance the competitiveness of the red car. The operation is not at all simple, but as the Ferrari team principal himself said, “next weekend the car will be used better.” Unlocking the potential of the upgrades is the task at hand.
Lastly, the tire issue. We know well how the Italian F1 team, through very hard work, wanted to build a car capable of naturally managing the tires. That is the opposite of the SF-23, to be clear, a car that destroyed tires after 5 laps. Having fixed this issue, there remains the task of correcting the activation and maintenance of the correct usage window, which in certain competitive scenarios just refuses to work. This is what happened in Barcelona during the qualifying session, once again, and to a lesser extent during the Spanish Grand Prix as well.
Achieving this will mean making an additional competitive step necessary to compete at the top, in any context, always being able to offer the best version of itself. McLaren succeeds like Red Bull. Mercedes has also been able to do so lately, and in this sense, the results are evident to all. The hope for the next round is precisely this. This factor, combined with the validation of the updates, can undoubtedly make the two SF-24 single-seaters work better, a very good car but too often not used to its full potential in this first part of the 2024 Formula 1 championship.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
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