For the umpteenth time since the opening edition, despite the optimism brought by Charles Leclerc’s pole position, Baku has proven to be a land of regrets for Ferrari. In the Azerbaijan GP, in fact, the Scuderia failed to capitalize on their starting ‘track position’ and the car’s form to achieve what could have been their first victory in a race where they have always performed optimally, as was the case again this year. At least judging by the pole position and the dominance shown by Charles Leclerc in the first stint, which lasted until the SF-24 started to suffer from Hard tire degradation and succumbed to McLaren’s superior pace. Added to this was McLaren’s higher top speed (due to their setup), which effectively rendered all of the Monegasque’s overtaking attempts futile, forcing him to yield to the superiority of the “papaya” car and settle for a podium that leaves a bitter taste.
And the outlook for Maranello doesn’t improve when looking at Carlos Sainz’s race, which, after a managing first stint, saw him climb back up to the podium zone behind Leclerc and Sergio Perez, ready to take advantage of the battle between his teammate and the Mexican. After a fight between Checo and Leclerc, Carlos managed to slip between the two, but Perez reacted, and when he found himself wheel-to-wheel with the number 55 SF-24, he couldn’t avoid an unfortunate racing contact (not using the space to his left to avoid a crash) that ultimately knocked both Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez out of the race.
It was a negative race that Maranello is eager to move on from as quickly as possible, starting with the next race weekend in Singapore, where last year the Scuderia achieved their only victory of the season: a success secured by Carlos Sainz that prevented Red Bull from completing the season with an absolute record of 22 wins out of 22. A fond memory, along with the determination for redemption by the team led by Frederic Vasseur after the Baku race and the positive signs from the SF-24 (both in terms of growth trend and characteristics suited to the Marina Bay street circuit), is pushing the Prancing Horse to approach the upcoming race weekend in the best possible way.
This positivity, felt by the Scuderia team, has also been expressed by Leo Turrini on his blog “Profondo Rosso.” The well-known journalist, in fact, is certain that, for the reasons mentioned, the trip to Marina Bay could be a real opportunity for Ferrari to win, due to historical performance, Charles Leclerc’s skill on street circuits, and the strength of the SF-24. All of this, of course, in relation to the competition, with McLaren now being a certainty and Red Bull, despite their current struggles, still needing to provide answers.
“What do we expect from Singapore, we Ferrari fans?
At the beginning of the season, I hoped for 5 Red victories.
We’re at 3 now. I considered the Singapore night race a chance. And not just because of Sainz’s 2023 feat. I still do. It’s true that the Marina Bay circuit has changed a bit. […] But it wouldn’t make sense to exclude the SF24 from the predictions. What Leclerc can do in such environments is known even to his most committed detractors. I hope they’ll need a lot of Maalox by Sunday night. Then we need to see how things play out between Norris and Piastri, and what the new cabbie Verstappen can pull out of his Uber — pardon, out of his hat — and I never thought I’d compare Red Bull to a taxi.”
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