F1 | Ferrari embraces stability, but bets on fifteen young people

Ferrari has embraced stability. The Maranello team began the 2024 season as the second force behind Red Bull. Fred Vasseur with the technicians directed by Enrico Cardile has planned the developments that will arrive on the red (a taste in Japan and then a substantial package in Imola) to start the chase against Max Verstappen.

The SF-24's flaws have been outlined (lack of downforce and rear suspension tuning) and, like last year, a plan to chase Max Verstappen has been defined. In the Cavallino team there is no fibrillation, but the awareness of the work to be done: the only risk, which we have already pointed out, is the lack of courage in carrying out experiments (the unloaded winger in Jeddah could have been tested in a run) , sticking only to ultra-tested solutions.

The Scuderia did not allow itself to be dragged into the controversy against Red Bull and its particularly hot moment within it and did not fuel the market rumors that the possible exits of Adrian Newey and Pierre Waché could bring the English “genius” or the director technician from Milton Keynes in Maranello

Vasseur is waiting for Loic Serra to be released from Mercedes to prepare the staff that will have to look after the 2026 single-seater for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The Frenchman, highly respected and authoritative in the Stella team, will be active in Brackley until April and then he will begin the gardening period, to be ready for the call from the Cavallino at the end of the year.

Enrico Cardile, technical director of the Ferrari chassis

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

Ferrari, it must be said, has never made anything official about the transalpine engineer, but has never denied it either. Serra will be the extra man at the technical top of Sports Management, without disrupting a system that is constantly evolving.

At the end of last year we anticipated that young reinforcements would arrive in strategic sectors where the Scuderia has important growth margins: around ten have already arrived between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 and a second batch of around fifteen members is expected before June , when the new purchases coming not only from Red Bull, will conclude the contractual gardening period.

These are young but not inexperienced people who will implement some sectors such as simulation and aerodynamics, but there will also be figures, mathematicians and not F1 engineers, for the development of innovative areas regarding electronics and intelligence artificial.

Jerome d'Ambrosio, Driver Development Director of Mercedes-AMG

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

John Elkann, much more involved in GeS choices, gave full management autonomy to Vasseur (Jerome D'Ambrosio's arrival as head of the FDA is a clear example of this) after sharing a line of growth for the team and development of the car . Some names that have been brought to the fore by the media in recent days would not be on Ferrari's radar. The short-term choices were made without the illusion of bringing home a certain Adrian Newey…