Scuderia Ferrari exceeded expectations by clinching their inaugural race victory of 2024 at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, a triumph that Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur sees as an indication that Red Bull can indeed face formidable competition. While acknowledging the RB20’s status as the standard bearer, the French manager remains optimistic about the SF-24’s potential to pose a credible challenge.
The Australian Grand Prix marked a stellar weekend for Ferrari across multiple fronts. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc jointly amassed 44 points for the Maranello team in Melbourne, effectively dispelling pre-season doubts surrounding Scuderia’s capabilities.
As evident from its performances in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the SF-24 emerged as a dependable and consistent performer. Unlike its predecessors, it instills drivers with sufficient confidence to push the limits without the looming fear of losing control.
Nevertheless, the Italian side faces the pressing question of whether they can sustain the pressure on their rivals. Securing race victories remains the primary objective going forward, although consistently outshining the reigning F1 champions appears to be a daunting task.
Looking ahead, Fred Vasseur stresses the significance of maintaining this momentum and capitalizing on any potential errors from Red Bull’s camp.
“This weekend I think it’s good evidence that when we are putting everything together – and I’m not sure that we’ll be able to do it every single weekend – we can put them a little bit under pressure. And it’s when they are under pressure that they will also make more mistakes,” he said in an interview for Sky Sports – “We have to continue in this direction. We are much more confident of the fact that we can manage this kind of event.” – he pointed out.
It’s premature to label Ferrari as potential Championship contenders at this juncture. A more cautious evaluation would position them as consistent podium finishers and occasional challengers for race victories.
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Nevertheless, it’s crucial to recognize that performance levels will fluctuate throughout the F1 2024 season. Upgrades are expected to debut at the Japanese Grand Prix, with a more significant array of improvements slated for Imola, their home turf.
For Frederic Vasseur, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, maintaining the momentum gained from Albert Park is paramount. The Japanese Grand Prix, however, might not favor the SF-24, especially when compared to Red Bull’s RB20. Max Verstappen demonstrated exceptional dominance at the circuit during last year’s F1 event.
In this context, Scuderia Ferrari’s goal isn’t to outclass the Red Bull RB20 every race weekend. Instead, their aim is to stay within striking distance of pressuring Christian Horner’s team, causing them more headaches than they faced in the previous Formula One championship.
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