Updates on SF-24 expected for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Four wins for Max Verstappen, one for Carlos Sainz, and one for Lando Norris: Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren have already celebrated at least one victory in the 2024 Formula 1 championship, and even thanks to Max Verstappen’s technical issues in Australia, the Driver Standings do not yet see the Dutchman fleeing from his opponents. Sergio Perez is 33 points behind his teammate, but it’s natural to consider Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen’s direct pursuer. The Ferrari Monegasque is 38 points behind the world champion and unlike Carlos Sainz, has not yet won this season.
Red Bull brought a significant package of updates in Japan and highlighted the benefits of this evolutionary step in China. McLaren, after already performing well in Shanghai, brought substantial updates to Miami and secured a victory that had been missing since 2021. It’s logical to now expect a leap in quality also from Ferrari, which chose Imola as the weekend to introduce the updates studied in this first part of the season to increase the performance of the SF-24 single-seater.
Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur emphasized in a press conference that it’s inappropriate to imagine performance gains of three/four tenths, Ferrari’s goal is to find two tenths of performance to be even closer to Red Bull, putting the verdict of each race weekend in the hands of the drivers and the work on the track between setups and tires. “Two of our opponents brought updates this weekend and I don’t think they have revolutionized the hierarchy. We are at a point in the development of these cars where updates do not lead to a huge leap. However, it is also true that with four or five cars so close in qualifying, gaining even just a tenth can make a difference. It also depends a lot on what the drivers do, how we set up the car, and tire management. We shouldn’t just think about updates, but also about the work we do on the track,” said Frederic Vasseur following the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrom.
“We shouldn’t expect the updates to be decisive, but they will still bring performance in such a close group.” – The Frenchman concluded.
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