Ferrari started the 2024 season as the second-best team on the grid, behind Red Bull. They steadily kept improving, until an upgrade at the Spanish GP put them on the downward slope. Charles Leclerc recently came out to reveal why their results have been sub-par since.
The SF-24 just wasn’t fast enough, according to Leclerc. “Just performance. Just overall performance: we are not quick enough,” he said as per Formu1a.uno.
“If you look at Budapest or Spa, our car is in a good place, it’s not that we have a particular problem,” he added.
Speaking about what the SF-24 is currently lacking, Leclerc was clear: “Just performance. Just overall performance: we are not quick enough. If you look at Budapest or Spa, our car is in a good place, it’s not that we have a particular problem.”
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However, Leclerc complained about the car being difficult to control. It had bouncing issues, which forced them to compromise on the setup on several occasions. In turn, it made them lose out on performance.
For Leclerc and Ferrari, this slump has been extremely disappointing. At one point this season, it looked as though the team could have challenged Red Bull, much like McLaren and Mercedes are currently doing. Poor development, however, cost them.
Although Ferrari curbed the bouncing issues, they haven’t been able to get rid of it completely. Leclerc, however, is optimistic about what is to come.
Leclerc Confident in Ferrari’s Upcoming Upgrades
At the Hungarian GP – the penultimate race before the summer break – Ferrari brought a small change to the floor of the SF-24. The bouncing reduced, and reports suggested that Ferrari also worked on the diffuser throat.
Major upgrades were expected after the summer break, but there won’t be any immediate respite as the Italian team traveled to the Dutch GP without any significant changes.
Ahead of the race in Zandvoort, Leclerc said, “I am fully confident in the work we are doing and the updates it will bring. I cannot say when, but the updates they will bring will make us take a step forward .”
Ferrari has kept the details of their future upgrade a secret, but the focus is expected to be on and around the floor, which has caused the team the biggest issues.
