Scuderia Ferrari put together a perfect weekend in the third round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc securing the Maranello team’s 86th one-two finish and its 244th race victory. An indescribable emotion for the Maranello team and an unexpected one at this stage of the season. The Australian Grand Prix is also a clear and direct message to the Milton Keynes rivals: “Hey Red Bull… watch out because the moment you slip up, we’re right there to capitalize on it.”
Moreover, considering the race pace displayed by the SF-24 cars during the first two free practice sessions in Melbourne, many believed the Italian side could have competed for the victory even with Max Verstappen on track if it hadn’t been for a rear right brake issue that forced him to retire after just a few laps. This is because the Italian car showed optimal tire management at the Albert Park circuit.
After getting over the euphoria of the triumphant Australian round, Scuderia Ferrari is waiting for new insights about the quality of the latest aeromechanical work from Maranello, at the beautiful Suzuka circuit, the venue for the next round of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix. The event in Japan has been quite bitter for the historic Italian team in the last two years. Indeed, in 2022, we all remember how Charles Leclerc was penalized in the last lap of the race, losing the second step of the podium. This result automatically awarded the drivers’ title to a radiant Max Verstappen.
Meanwhile, in the last Formula 1 season, the outcome was somewhat worse as, behind the runaway “flying Dutchman,” there were the McLaren cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc, fourth at the finish line in Suzuka, had a gap of over forty seconds. For the SF-23 car, the characteristics of the Japanese racing track were ideal in highlighting the flaws of the 675 project, even for its evolved version. Particularly in the first sector, characterized by the uphill snake, last year’s Ferrari single-seater struggled terribly against both the Red Bull and even the papaya-colored cars.
F1 | Ferrari: In Japan Without Fear of Failure
Frederic Vasseur always encourages his team to take calculated risks without fear of failure. For many years, the concept of providing the minimum union contribution within the Ferrari Racing Department offered the peace of mind of being shielded from criticism, or worse, being the victim of a witch hunt as unnecessary as it was divisive. The French manager’s belief is at the opposite extreme. No one should be afraid to make mistakes. According to Frederic Vasseur, even if something goes wrong, he will be the first to support the team. The team principal considers trust as an important factor and is convinced that the first three races of the 2024 Formula 1 season have helped to increase self-esteem within his team.
Fostering this spirit in challenging Red Bull in every F1 Grand Prix is the logical consequence of this journey. Fred Vasseur is aware that the task remains very daunting and for this reason he pushes his team as he judges it crucial to get through the weekend without issues and without losing even a minute during the free practice sessions. After only three races, on different tracks, it’s always difficult to estimate the gap of the Ferrari SF-24 as compared to the Red Bull RB20. However, the Maranello technicians believe that the margin on the latest F1 project by Adrian Newey remains in the order of three to four tenths of a second.
An estimate that probably puts the Melbourne one-two finish into perspective, almost labeling it as an “exception” compared to a still significant competitive advantage that the Austrain side enjoys. However, Frederic Vasseur firmly believes in the ability to recover the deficit as the season progresses. The Frenchman doesn’t think at all that Red Bull has a clever solution worth four tenths on its own. He is more inclined to believe that a combination of various details provides them with such an advantage. Therefore, it will be necessary to develop the strengths of their own technical project, without thinking that the car produced in the Milton Keynes factory has a magic weapon that makes it different from all the other cars.
The foundation of the Ferrari SF-24 is finally very solid and consistent in in terms of car behavior. A correlation between track and simulator that once and for all seems to have been achieved. We are talking about a necessary and vital condition in Formula 1, to be able to plan an effective evolutionary development. At the Suzuka circuit, in this sense, will be a very important moment for the Italian. Ferrari is aware that it will be difficult to replicate what happened at the Albert Park circuit but, being hopes to be much closer to the top compared to the last edition of the Japanese round. This remains the main target for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc next weekend. A team that has stopped being afraid and is willing to take risks to put pressure on Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
Source: Roberto Cecere for FUnoanalisitecnica
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