Did Ferrari want to show its strength yesterday? That was not the goal of round 21 of the 2024 F1 season. The sparkling start comes from the desire to perform well and the ability of the red car to show up on track already competitive, a characteristic rediscovered after the arrival of the new floor in Monza. It was a special Friday as the International Federation, in collaboration with Pirelli, the sole tire supplier, decided to “require” teams and drivers to test the tires in preparation for the 2025 season during FP2. A necessary on-track test to enhance the know-how on future Italian compounds.
The program was divided into sections, assigning each driver a specific tire. A sort of mini-regulation was established for the fuel to be loaded, both for dry laps and for high-fuel simulations. In both competitive scenarios, the red car prevailed over its rivals. Through our usual analyses of Ferrari, we closely examined the performance of the Maranello team. The results were truly encouraging, which, according to those directly involved, in this case, Carlos Sainz, still have room for improvement.
Ferrari tried to follow the lead set in Austin, studying a base setup that could optimize performance in the medium-slow sections of the track. From this point, as happened in Texas, the historic team sought to improve the car in the faster corners, an area where the red car is not yet at its best. In F1, the word compromise is always present: the red team sought the balance of the car, and between the two sessions yesterday, they achieved the expected competitive step. It was an easier Friday for Sainz, who felt comfortable right away with the SF-24.
It was more difficult for Charles, who, in addition to skipping the first free practice session to make way for young promise Oliver Bearman, who was very unlucky with the incident involving Alexander Albon’s Williams, struggled with some adaptation issues on the track. Nevertheless, the Monegasque remained very positive in his remarks to the media. The reason is clear: although the Ferrari driver couldn’t fully extract his performance, he still assessed the potential of car number 16. Ferrari brought no updates to Mexico but continues to push hard.
The only novelty for the red team concerns the engine cover: many shark-like openings to improve cooling. The engineers chose this solution to ensure they could fully benefit from the 066/12 power unit. All of this without encountering reliability issues that could potentially stop the Italian car on the track. Among other things, the supposed deficit regarding aerodynamic efficiency due to the various “louvres” present on the engine cover seems not to have affected the SF-24’s ability to slice through the air, maintaining a very good level of drag.
However, it seems much wiser to wait for today’s F1 sessions to know more. This is because only when everyone pushes the internal combustion engine to the maximum will we have a certain data point. Ferrari has changed its mentality in various aspects during the current racing campaign. Leclerc has repeatedly emphasized how good Frederic Vasseur’s behind-the-scenes work is within the Sports Management. It is not just a matter of confidence but of knowing one’s own means. There is also a matter that, for some weeks now, has reached the peak of maturity.
We are referring to the desire to give maximum effort in every race. For this reason, qualifying is partially sacrificed to significantly increase the chances of winning on Sunday. The SF-24 is not the best in fast corners and when cornering. But who cares if, over a distance of 300 km, as happened in Austin, it leaves the rest of the competitors behind? The Prancing Horse has been quite clever in this regard. As we know, having a lot of fuel on board implies managing the tires, a move that effectively lowers cornering speeds, especially in fast corners.
On this point, Ferrari has thought to seek an effective base setup. They did this in Texas, where, during the race, all the cars had to manage their tires in T1. This element levels the performance in the “esses” and especially eliminates the performance deficit that the red car suffered in these corners compared to Red Bull and McLaren. An intelligent move that maximizes the red car’s performance over the 300 km distance. A form of “technical awareness” that comes from the recent development experience gained by engineers in F1.
Much credit also goes to the Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who are able to adapt, despite having different driving styles, to the characteristics imposed by a more “smart” setup that is at the same time more complicated in some parts of the track. The path for the Mexican Grand Prix has been drawn. Yesterday, as mentioned, Pirelli played a leading role. Therefore, we await FP3 for more conclusive confirmations on the goodness of the configuration chosen by the red team. The third free practice session where the other teams will also start to get serious, especially Max Verstappen, who was hindered by problems with the power unit yesterday.
McLaren remains a very strong car. Moreover, it has installed a new floor modified in various parts. According to the F1 team based in Woking, the macro-component reflects the values provided by the simulator on track. This, although, at least on the day before yesterday, this supposed competitive step has not yet emerged. Perhaps because the papaya-colored cars have deliberately hidden? Who knows. However, Ferrari does not trust this and, rightly so, has worked to take another step forward and support the choices made regarding the setup. Tonight, and the end of FP3, we will know more.
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