Let no one be fooled: Ferrari’s chances of fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship that will start next March 2, in Bahrain, are minuscule. That does not mean that the Maranello team has given its all in trying to take a step forward that brings it a little closer to Red Bull, the lord and master car of the last championship, especially in the hands of Max Verstappen, who has already become legend of the contest at only 26 years old.
Regardless of the numbers it can rack up, the SF-24 will also go down in history as the last Ferrari before the Lewis Hamilton era, which will wear red next year and most likely turn Maranello upside down. Whether 2024 is a year of process will depend on Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who will face his last season as a driver of the Scuderia having been chosen to leave his position to the British. While negotiating his next destination, the man from Madrid can take pride in being the only one capable of taking a victory from the red buffalo cars in Singapore, on a weekend in which those from Milton Keynes (Great Britain) always rode behind. With the SF-23, Ferrari concluded last year in third position in the classification reserved for manufacturers, just three points behind Mercedes.
In a presentation from Maranello that could only be followed electronically, Ferrari presented a prototype that, basically, seeks to be less fussy, more versatile and easier to drive than its predecessor. Above all, in long rounds of laps, the parameter on which the options of any structure are based. Also the most universal in the world of racing, which continues to be so due to impact and cachet, despite not celebrating a title for 16 years (Raikkonen, in 2007).
The arrival of Hamilton is the answer that tries to end that drought, and John Elkann, the CEO of the Mercedes company, intervened directly in the process of seducing the multi-time Mercedes champion. The Prancing Horsewho has been directly involved to the point of traveling to the headquarters to see the birth of the new car. Supervising the development of the SF-24 is a way to put pressure on the troops and prepare them for the landing of the Stevenage boy, one of the most relevant market operations ever. It is expected that little by little the names of the technical personnel who will join Ferrari will emerge to face the next challenge in the best possible conditions.
“This year we must start where we left off last season, a stage in which we were in the lead at almost all times. The idea is to improve in all areas,” summarized Fred Vasseur, the training director. “The SF-24 should be less sensitive and easier for us to drive, which is really what we pilots need,” commented Leclerc, after a simulator session. “I hope this car represents a step forward in different areas. From the impression that the simulator gave me, I think we are where we want to be,” he added.