At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy, Max Verstappen secured his fifth victory of the 2024 Formula 1 season, extending his lead in the drivers’ standings ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. However, this win did not come easily. The competition’s pressure is mounting, and the Red Bull package now demands perfection, unlike how things unfolded in the start of the 2024 season. Both McLaren and Ferrari have significantly closed the gap with their latest developments. Verstappen responded with a tactical adjustment, attacking the track’s most challenging sections during the first stint. He came close to a track limits penalty but managed to gain an advantage using settings optimized for medium tires, crucial in repelling Lando Norris’s final assault in the McLaren MCL38.
Ferrari has closed the gap by another two and a half tenths on Red Bull
The debut of the SF-24 2.0 at Imola was more promising than the result suggests. Those disappointed might have expected miracles, but in Maranello, the full potential of the new package is anticipated to be realized between the races in Montreal and Barcelona. Heading into Monaco, Charles Leclerc is prepared for his home race after surpassing Sergio Perez in the drivers’ standings. At Imola, no car was perfect, and Ferrari missed out on the front row on Saturday, costing them the home race. However, the gap to Red Bull has decreased significantly compared to the Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of the season. The average delay in the first six races shows Ferrari’s positive response to updates, performing better in races than in qualifying, which remains their weak point. Ferrari’s engineers are developing the next upgrades focusing on two main areas: improving the quality of downforce and enhancing efficiency on the straight.
Regarding downforce, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz still struggle with responsiveness at the start of the lap and during the first stint with softer compounds, losing time on the straights and in the chicanes. Leclerc mentioned hybrid management, but the issue extends to overall efficiency. Ferrari is forced to cover more meters at the start of the lap and deal with higher drag than competitors. Softer tires offer less rigidity in the sidewall, increasing understeer if not countered properly. This problem is complex, involving pressure management and maintaining balance throughout the race.
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On efficiency, despite updates reducing drag, the SF-24 has used an all-purpose rear wing in seven races. This shows the aerodynamic platform’s stability with varying layouts, but further improvements are expected for Silverstone and the Hungaroring. On some tracks, Red Bull and McLaren hold an advantage of 2 to 6 km/h. As team principal Frederic Vasseur stated, Ferrari needs to push for incremental gains, taking at least three races to evaluate performance across different corner types before introducing more updates.
Ferrari introduced a significant update after seven races, altering their development trajectory. New parts will be phased in, unlike McLaren, Aston Martin, Mercedes, and partially Red Bull, who update more continuously. Diego Tondi’s aerodynamic team is finalizing the second package scheduled for Silverstone, with new parts expected to resolve the SF-24’s main issues. As Monaco approaches, Ferrari needs what has been lacking so far. The SF-24 2.0 will feature a new high-downforce rear wing and an updated DRS device, as confirmed by F1 experts Giuliano Duchessa and Rosario Giuliana for formu1a.uno.
