Charles Leclerc is confident that Ferrari can start challenging Red Bull for major honours in Formula 1. Despite the RB20 asserting itself as the benchmark in early 2024, the Maranello-based team is quietly confident about their prospects.
In the final eleven race weekends of 2023, Ferrari claimed an impressive six pole positions. However, the team’s failure to convert these Saturday results into victories (with the exception of Singapore) highlights their major weakness from last season.
Severe tyre degradation and an often unpredictable car complicated high-fuel running for Fred Vasseur’s personnel.
Over winter, a complete overhaul was carried out to transform the Italian outfit’s shortcomings into a strength. At least so far in 2024, these efforts have been successful.
The SF-24 is far kinder to its tyres than its predecessor, avoiding the Sunday drop-offs that were so costly last year.
Charles Leclerc echoes this sentiment, outlining the team’s progression in recent months:
“I think we are doing small steps in the right direction,” he said after the Saudi Arabia GP.
“If I look back the last six, seven months, we are the team that have improved the most and we are slowly closing the gap.
“So the gap is still quite big. But if we keep working like that, I’m sure it’s a matter of time before we put the Red Bull under a bit more pressure.”
Ferrari in a far better place than 12 months ago
Generally speaking, Leclerc’s assessment is consistent with the early data to start 2024.
Although teams like Haas found more lap time over winter than the Scuderia, the Italian squad is certainly the happiest of Red Bull’s chasers.
The conceptual concerns at Mercedes are certainly not present at Maranello. Aston Martin is a few steps behind, whilst McLaren is waiting for upgrades later in the season to unlock more performance.
Unlike in previous campaigns (and most of their rivals), Ferrari has no major weak point.
The SF-24 is a well-rounded car that gives Maranello’s engineers confidence about this year’s development plan.
Considering the scepticism surrounding Enrico Cardile’s machine at the team’s pre-season launch, the Ferrari’s early speed is very encouraging.
At a very fundamental level, Ferrari seems to have avoided the pitfalls that are ever-present with this generation of F1 cars.
Still, excluding later updates, there is potential to unlock within their existing package.
Near the top of the team’s priorities – ironically – will be to try and recapture the peak performance they enjoyed last season.
It must be said, however, that Ferrari’s to-do list is far shorter and more manageable than in previous years. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz seem conscious of the momentum at the team but want to remain grounded and manage expectations.
