The disappointments in Canada and Spain have somewhat deflated the motivations of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but the data analysis done in the Ferrari Racing Division would show that the potential of the red car is higher than what was seen in the last two races. With the revised aerodynamic map, the hope is that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will return to fighting for important positions starting with the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the Austrian Grand Prix.
The interesting fact is that with the SF-24 in its evolved version, which debuted at the Imola circuit, some small correlation problems between the wind tunnel, the simulation systems, and the track emerged. The performance progress of the red car, even with the latest update brought to Barcelona, did not deliver the results the Maranello technical staff expected in the challenge with Red Bull and McLaren. So much so that in Spain even Mercedes outpaced the Scuderia’s car, suggesting that the Maranello car had dropped to fourth in strength.
On Sunday evening, right after the race, we commented that the Scuderia had made development mistakes, while Fred Vasseur never doubted the quality of the evolutions. The French team principal is convinced that he will see a competitive red car at the Red Bull Ring.
It is true that Austria has three straights connected by slow corners and the track layout does not feature those long, fast corners where the SF-24 struggles the most. But from the debriefing of the Spanish GP yesterday morning, the necessary reassurances emerged to keep the team motivated in the work the entire Racing Department is carrying out in the attempt, at least, to defend the second place in the Constructors’ Championship from the remarkable comeback of McLaren, which has recovered 30 points against Ferrari in the last four races.
In Canada, as in Barcelona, the two Ferrari drivers seemed unable to compensate, especially in the qualifying session, for the shortcomings of a car that, with the latest update, showed the reappearance of bouncing, the “jumping” at high speeds, and a sudden loss of aerodynamic load that made the car unpredictable and difficult to set up.
If Fred Vasseur, after the qualifying sessions, implied that something was missing in the single lap at Montmelò, hinting that the drivers did not contribute to the potential result, the data analysis would instead show that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were somewhat victims of a too unpredictable red car and that the resulting nervousness was an effect of a weekend that did not go in the right direction from the start.
Ferrari, therefore, goes to Styria with the intention of dispelling doubts and uncertainties. The aim is to exploit the hybrid qualities of the 066/12 at altitude (the Red Bull Ring is 700 meters above sea level) without paying the aerodynamic deficit seen in Canada and Spain every time they had to climb and descend the curbs. The Austrian format reintroduces the Sprint race with only one free practice session before the Sprint qualifying, so it will be essential to put a car on track that works immediately.
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There cannot be an SF-24 car operating outside the correct aerodynamic map, paying a heavy price in performance. The Ferrari single-seater in the last part of the Spanish GP had more than respectable pace (it lost a couple of seconds to Max Verstappen in about twenty laps, while the remaining twenty seconds had already been accumulated before) and the same telemetry numbers ensure that there is potential to be extracted that is higher than what was actually seen in Catalunya.
In the green hills of Austria, therefore, we will not see a new bolt on the red car. The attempt will be to consolidate the Spanish Grand Prix package with updates to the floor, diffuser, and side pod design. Also, the following week, at the Silverstone appointment that will complete this triple-header, more novelties should arrive. And if a line has not been drawn, there will be a risk of further losing the thread at a crucial moment of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
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