Ferrari, reassuring signs in terms of race pace
The last lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah circuit, with Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc setting the fastest lap of the race, gave a significant signal to the Maranello team. The Monegasque’s fast lap in the race reignited hopes for the Italian side and for the Tifosi about resolving the degradation issue that affected the SF-23 last season, although it should be remembered that the Jeddah circuit is not a demanding track on tires and that Ferrari’s problems usually arose at the beginning of races with a much heavier car due to the fuel load.
Nevertheless, clear progress has been made at Ferrari, at least in understanding tire behavior and all that entails in terms of degradation during races. This is also admitted by the former Senior Performance Engineering Director of the Prancing Horse, Jock Clear, who, however, claims that this improvement occurred already at the end of the previous Formula 1 championship.
Jock Clear’s comments
“We believe we have understood what allows us to improve tire degradation,” these are the words of the head of the Academy. “It was a critical issue identified two years ago and at the beginning of last year, but I believe that in 2023, in Las Vegas, we showed that Charles Leclerc was able to manage the tires at Max Verstappen’s level. Now I think it’s an area we understand, and so we expect to continue working in the right direction.” – he concluded.
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