Jock Clear reveals Ferrari will "discover many things at Suzuka" amid SF-24 development potential

Jock Clear reveals Ferrari will “discover many things at Suzuka” amid SF-24 development potential. The Suzuka GP will tell Ferrari a lot about the direction they have taken.

Ferrari, Suzuka will tell you who you are
Until 2023, it was Montmeló that was the “revealing” track of the World Championship, the first to provide a credible and reliable hierarchy of the grid due to its completeness and the significant updates teams brought to Catalonia. However, this year, the calendar has brought forward the journey of teams and drivers to one of the most anticipated tracks: Suzuka, where real drivers and fast cars emerge, while the Spanish Grand Prix will be held on June 23.

Theoretically, among the teams “in search of identity,” Ferrari is not one of them. The SF-24 single-seater has been clearly the second force behind Red Bull in both the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. But the appointment with Suzuka (April 5-7) comes at the right time because only a track so demanding on tires allows the Scuderia to understand if they have truly solved the tire degradation issues, as confidently stated by Jock Clear, head of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Jock Clear’s comments
The British engineer is convinced that the Japanese Grand Prix will tell Ferrari a lot about the direction they have taken: “Given the structure of this year’s calendar, I believe that after four races, we will have a fairly precise idea. Suzuka is, in fact, an exceptional circuit to measure a car. There, on that type of circuit, we will discover many things.” – he pointed out.

Finally, Jock Clear highlighted all the other areas in which Ferrari has progressed: “The SF-24 is better in terms of downforce, power, lightweight, and drivability. As for the latter aspect, it was a significant step forward made in the winter: both drivers are much more comfortable with the car and its increased predictability, and now they are more confident when they are behind someone and the wind conditions change.” – the English senior performance engineer concluded.