After a below-par 2023 season, Ferrari once again seem to have established themselves as the second-fastest team this year. However, despite the improved pace of the SF-24, the Prancing Horse seems nowhere in a position to fight reigning champions Red Bull. During both the season opener in Bahrain and the second race in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari only managed to clinch the final podium spot, whereas Red Bull registered a dominant 1-2. Since the Milton Keynes-based outfit once again seem to be in a league of their own, Ferrari are now reportedly planning to pin their hope on a revamped SF-24 to give Max Verstappen some trouble in the upcoming races.
Formu1a.uno has put out a report that claims that Ferrari only fielded their current SF-24 to see if they had taken the right development path. Since the Italian outfit seems to be on the right track at the moment, the report explains how they are likely to field “a more extreme version” of the SF-24 ahead. The report states,
“Ferrari started with a conventional SF-24 to check that they understood the full downwash concept well. But in the tunnel, there is a more ‘extreme’ version: fewer updates towards Suzuka, then an updated aero look towards Imola, barring surprises”.
The report then adds that Ferrari will hope to bring most of its major upgrade to Imola in May. However, they will continue to improve the car for the upcoming races as well, having understood a clear path for the areas they want to make improvements in.
With a revamped SF-24, Ferrari will indeed hope to close the gap to Red Bull in the upcoming races. However, based on the results in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, it is fair to say that they have made a huge step forward compared to 2023.
Can Ferrari cause Red Bull and Verstappen some problems in the upcoming races?
Ferrari have had a decent start to the 2024 season as they managed to clinch the final podium in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. In Bahrain, Carlos Sainz finished third while Charles Leclerc managed to finish just behind him in fourth.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc grabbed the final podium, whereas Sainz’s replacement, Oliver Bearman, finished seventh. Such consistency from Ferrari seems to prove that they are now the second-fastest team on the current grid. However, it is the massive gap to Max Verstappen and Red Bull that continues to be concerning for the Italian outfit.
In Bahrain, the Dutchman finished a whopping 25 seconds ahead of third-placed Sainz. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, Verstappen finished over 18 seconds ahead of third-placed Leclerc. However, it is pertinent to note that it is not just the race pace that is currently an issue for Ferrari.
Leclerc also complained about issues with the brakes in the season opener in Bahrain which resulted in him finishing 14 seconds behind Sainz in fourth despite starting second on the grid. While Ferrari definitely do have more concerns than Red Bull, they have made a huge step forward than last year as they are clear of the rest of the field.
In both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Ferrari did not face any serious threat from Aston Martin, Mercedes, or McLaren for the final podium spot. Therefore, the early evidence suggests that if Ferrari do indeed get the development right for the car, their drivers can challenge Max Verstappen more in the upcoming races.
