Contrary to expectations, Scuderia Ferrari has made a significant error that could prove crucial for the 2024 Formula 1 season.
The Serious Mistake by Ferrari
Despite several media reports leading up to the race weekend, Ferrari did not bring any updates to the Netherlands for the race weekend at the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort. The updates in question are “corrective” ones, designed by the Maranello team in order to address the current issues with the SF-24 single-seater (primarily the bouncing problem).
Frederic Vasseur had hinted at this: “The Zandvoort weekend will be difficult for us,” but no one anticipated the kind of gap seen in the practice sessions.
The Consequences
While caution is warranted since these are just practice sessions, the fact remains that Ferrari will have less time—starting from Monza—to assess whether the new package will meet expectations.
This means that if the updates do not work as hoped, Ferrari is likely to end the 2024 Formula 1 season in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
On the other hand, if the updates prove to be significant, the Italian side will have one less race (considering they ran in the Netherlands with the current version of the car) to close the gap to their rivals. And there’s a chance that, by the end of the year, the championship could be lost by just a handful of points.
The Silver Lining
The positive aspect is that Ferrari will have one last test with the current car, allowing for further data analysis in upcoming outings. In summary, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and all the fans eagerly await to see the impact of months of work at Maranello, hoping that the progress made will justify the long wait.
