Ferrari approached 2024 with a car that is significantly revamped from last season. The morning in Bahrain, the stage for Day 1 of the Tests, clearly highlighted the profound changes in the SF-24. The main goal for the Scuderia, as confirmed at the presentation, was to improve drivability and race pace compared to 2023.
Charles Leclerc’s morning: consistent pace with the SF-24
Leclerc completed the first kilometers of the tests with aerodynamic rakes designed to validate the data studied in the wind tunnel and with numerical simulations. The equipment was positioned both behind the front tires and on the gills of the engine cover.
The Monegasque then dedicated some time to fast laps, only to quickly return to the pits for some setup changes. Specifically, the mechanics made some adjustments to the front suspensions. Once back on track, car number 16 seemed immediately comfortable, setting his best time of the day at 1.33.247, seven-tenths off Max Verstappen’s morning-leading time.
Ferrari then conducted a race pace simulation, a significant weak point for the Scuderia in 2023. However, the feedback from the SF-24 immediately seemed positive. What was surprising was not so much the lap times, with the car running with a high fuel load, but the consistency in pace.
The Monegasque completed several laps on C3 tires, maintaining an average of about 1.39.500. It was precisely during the simulation phase that the car’s behavior appeared significantly better than last year, with Charles Leclerc able to turn the car more effectively in corners.
Carlos Sainz attempts to close in on Max Verstappen: good showing from Ferrari in Bahrain tests
The afternoon session for Carlos Sainz mirrored the work done by his teammate in the morning. Elaborately designed rakes were also placed behind the rear tires of the Spaniard’s Scuderia car.
Once the initial phase of aerodynamic data correlation was completed, the Spaniard undertook a session where long runs and qualifying simulations were alternated.
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Car number 55 underwent several adjustments in the garage throughout the afternoon. It is likely, then, that the initially chosen setup was not optimal, complicated by some oversteer for the Spaniard.
In the race pace simulations, Carlos Sainz showed good consistency in times, coupled with an improved drivability of the SF-24.
Assessment of Ferrari’s first test day:
The 2024 Ferrari, despite all the conditions due to only eight hours of testing carried out in Sakhir, seemed like a solid car. The SF-24 appears to better support the driver, showing greater front-end responsiveness compared to last year.
It seems, then, that the overall work done in Maranello is bearing fruit, especially regarding tire degradation. Tire wear, in fact, was contained compared to the difficulties of 2023, allowing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to perform long runs with consistent times.
The feedback on the qualifying pace was less positive, but Ferrari never simulated it with a low fuel load. The best time was by Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard +1.240s behind a so far unreachable Max Verstappen.
Source: f1ingenerale
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