While the Scuderia unveils the new red car at noon with a pre-packaged video, enthusiasm is mounting within the Sporting Management for the new season of the Prancing Horse. Seeing the president, usually cool and detached, who wanted to oversee the livery of the car alongside Piero Ferrari, has sparked curiosity in the Racing Department. The SF-24 will not be the car that has to beat Red Bull, but it will be the F1 that has to give a turning point to Maranello’s ambitions by aiming for victory on every track.
There is an incredible contrast: today is the big day for the launch of the SF-24. At noon, the covers will fall from the red car tasked with reigniting the dreams of Ferrari fans. The seventieth car of the Prancing Horse must reposition the Scuderia in the role it deserves in the pinnacle of F1. It is a machine that we will also briefly see on Fiorano for the shakedown awaiting tomorrow’s filming day.
It will be a “cold” presentation with a recorded video, without live streaming. A way to keep journalists and television at bay while initiating what is the “relaunch operation.” The signing of Lewis Hamilton has been the booster that has unleashed new enthusiasm around Maranello. It’s curious because the detachment of the Prancing Horse from the rest of the world corresponds to the enthusiasm that is felt inside. Knowing that John Elkann wanted to be present at the livery of the car with Piero Ferrari brings back “rituals” of the past.
The presence of the president in the assembly department of the car, with yellow as well as white finishing touches in the new livery (a recognition of Shell, the main sponsor?), has made it clear that the atmosphere inside the Sporting Management is changing. John is no longer only talking about WEC, endurance races, and Le Mans but has also turned his attention to F1, raising internal pressure while trying to reduce external pressure.
From Maranello, strange signals are coming, even that technicians who were hesitant to come to the Sporting Management after a strict courtship by Fred Vasseur and his envoys have accepted the challenge: in the coming months, we will see about twenty new faces in important roles. It is not necessary for them to be top figures, but specialists capable of making a concrete contribution to strengthen those areas that still need reinforcements in Maranello.
Because the SF-24 will represent a step forward, but it will hardly be a championship-winning red car: the “mission” is to win more races than the only one snatched from Red Bull last year in Singapore. It is about making life less easy for Max Verstappen, laying the foundation for a Ferrari that might be able to think big with the arrival of the seven-time world champion.
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