A historic day. There are no better words to describe the Sunday experienced by Ferrari, capable of a sensational triumph in the Italian GP, at the end of a race where the team was obligated to achieve the best possible result. To do so, as tradition dictates, Ferrari’s engineers brought an evolved SF-24 to the track, adapted specifically for the Autodromo Nazionale, to fight and, in fact, secure a victory that every team member strongly desired, despite unfavorable predictions, lackluster qualifying, fierce competition, and concerns about tire management that, on the eve of the race, didn’t seem promising at all.
These elements, in the end, prevailed and led to the victory, not only because of what was mentioned, but also due to the determination and talent of Charles Leclerc (aggressive at the start, overtaking Lando Norris at the Roggia) and the strategic masterpiece from the pit wall, which, by taking advantage of tire management and feedback from the drivers, ensured the winner could finish the race with just one stop, outwitting McLaren, which, despite having a superior pace, could not respond to the “checkmate” and was forced to settle for the lower steps of the podium. A combination of factors, as also emphasized by Franco Nugnes on Motorsport Italy helped the team emerge from a mid-season slump.
“The Maranello team […] revealed some characteristics of the team, the driver, and the car that could help Ferrari come out of a roller-coaster phase of the season. […] Ferrari didn’t have to rely on the ‘big engine’ it had clung to in the past to salvage poor seasons. […] The team that starred at Monza prepared the celebration […] with care and didn’t make any mistakes.”
A celebration, as reported by the Italian journalist, made possible thanks to several factors, including the updates brought to the SF-24, which primarily solved the bouncing issue that had caused so much trouble for the drivers and shaken their confidence, but also improved tire management, which could become a strength for Maranello from now until the end of the year.
“The bouncing of the SF-24 needed to be corrected: the goal was achieved, with a solution that […] makes the car more drivable. The slimmer, sculpted nose and the sleeker engine cover […] are changes that altered the flow dynamics, making the SF-24 more flexible in strategies. […] This Ferrari, in short, gives itself until Singapore to understand what role it could play in the championship. If […] the Monza package is not limited to the Temple of Speed but flexible enough to work in the upcoming races, then the Scuderia could become a wildcard in the constructors’ standings.”
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