F1 | Leclerc: “The SF-24 is a step forward compared to 2023”

Charles Leclerc is ready for a new challenge. After the difficult 2023 in which he didn't even score a victory and, at the same time, saw his teammate score the only non-Red Bull success, he has a mad desire to return to fighting with his rivals and win again, perhaps remaining fighting for as long as possible also for the world title.

On the sidelines of the presentation of the SF-24 which took place at midday, the Monegasque opened the season by giving his impression of the new single-seater from both an aesthetic and behavioral point of view. To date, Charles has only tried the SF-24 on the simulator, so that's exactly where he said he found it very interesting.

“The new car looks fantastic. Of course it is always a very special feeling to see the new car for the first time, after so many months of hard work here in the factory, discussions with the engineers and finally seeing the final product, the final car, before my eyes. The colors are nice, there's a little more yellow and, obviously, we keep the red, so I'm very happy.”

“In the simulator, the sensations are good. The car is definitely a step forward compared to last year, we focused on the main weak points we had last year, as we do every year. And for now, the car in the simulator has reacted very well. But there is obviously another important part to all this: the correlation with the real car once we put it on track for the first time in Bahrain. So, this will be a crucial moment that will tell us whether we have done a good job this season. But so far, so far, so good. And everything we've tried in the simulator has been positive.”

Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Ferrari

“I think the main thing we've had to work on is sensitivity to changing conditions. Last year we had a top car, which was very strong when all the conditions were perfect. But every time one of These factors, whether it's temperature, wind speed, strength or direction, has a huge impact on our car. We wanted to change this to make the car better and easier to drive, because it was very difficult in windy conditions. And This is something I would like to see changed for this year.”

2023 was a very complex season for Ferrari, especially in the first part. The team then reacted well in the second half, and Leclerc believes that the team will manage not to repeat the mistakes made last season.

“I believe that last year was a very difficult season for the team. However, we worked very well. It was very clear the direction in which we had to work to achieve better results this year. And I am sure that the team did a great job. So, the few difficulties we encountered during the 23rd, I'm sure they will no longer exist in the 24th, and this will be a good sign.”

Until the response from the track it will be impossible to understand the true potential of the SF-24 and whether Ferrari will be able to compete with its direct rivals. For this reason Leclerc said – as now frequently happens to athletes of all levels and categories – to only pay attention to the work of his team.

“It is always impossible to predict whether we will be closer to our main competitors or not. Formula 1 is obviously a relative sport, but at the same time we focus on ourselves. And from one year to the next, we always try to look at what we can do better as a team, without focusing too much on the others. We don't know where the others are in terms of development, so we will have to wait. The real first lap before judging where exactly we are.”