Ferrari is arguably the most supported team in F1, and their iconic history calls for glamorous showings. This year, however, they will bring about a massive change in terms of their car launch, which is set to take place on the 13th of February. This will be a monumental shift as a change in the team’s mindset, as they look to make major strides this season.
According to Corriere, Ferrari will focus on “substance over form” during their car launch next month. This is similar to what the English F1 teams do. They don’t reveal too much about the car. This in turn doesn’t gas up the fanbase or reveal secrets to rival teams.
They are still expected to have a shakedown. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will drive around the Fiorano circuit, getting a feel of the car before giving the engineers their feedback. This, however, will be a lot more secretive. The change in their approach to the car launch is just one of the many brought about by team principal Fred Vasseur.
Vasseur wants to take Ferrari back to the top. He took over Mattia Binotto at the end of 2022. Since then, he has been adamant that he won’t repeat the mistakes that the previous bosses at Ferrari did.
What is Ferrari looking like as we head into pre-season?
With pre-season testing less than two months away, fans are itching to see how the SF-24 (presumably their car’s new name) will look like out on the track. How they actually perform is yet to be seen. What is sure of now, is that Ferrari will inherit just 5% of last year’s components.
Vasseur and his team are building a fundamentally new car. They want to keep its details a secret until the cars go out for testing in Bahrain. Additionally, they want to focus more on the challenges they will face from their rivals this year. 2024 is expected to bring the field closer. The likes of McLaren, Mercedes and maybe even Aston Martin will aim to go toe to toe with the Maranello-based outfit.
If they want to compete for wins and the championship, they will also have to cross the Red Bull hurdle. Vasseur, however, is sure about progress and spoke about the upcoming changes in an interview with Autosport:
“We are changing 95% of the components of the car. Perhaps you can consider that it’s a revolution.”
Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have tried to SF-24 out on the simulator. Sainz in particular seems pleased, stating that the car behaves differently. The Spaniard, Leclerc, Vasseur, and everyone at Ferrari will be hoping that in 2024, they finally put up a strong championship battle, and get the championship back to Maranello.
