The picture of Ferrari’s problems is clear. And this is the point from which they started in Maranello after experimenting during the last races with the old and new package for the SF-24. There is a problem, however: as of today there are no solutions to correct the problems in a short time.
Charles Leclerc supported this when he spoke to Sky Sport yesterday at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Ferraris finished in fifth and sixth place respectively behind the two McLarens, but also behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Ferrari found itself having to sacrifice race weekends again this year to better understand what wasn’t working on the single-seater. In 2023, the team managed to find valid solutions in a short time, while, according to the Monegasque, this year things could be different due to the timing with which to find what the SF-24 needs to become competitive again like a few weeks ago.
“I think the key… We did the same work as last year and we got very precise data. And that’s the sure thing. Last year we were in a situation where we had solutions in hand to solve it.”
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“I think that today, that situation, unfortunately, is not there. It’s a little bit different. We don’t have something to put in the car to solve the problems we have. So I’m sorry to say it but I think we will need more time to have something that can make us improve.”
Leclerc then returned to the Budapest race, saying that the pace he had yesterday could have even led him to the podium. The fourth place finish was good, but even running a different strategy between the second and third stints could have still kept him out of the top 3.
“I think the podium was possible, the pace was there. Then we must not forget that we are in Budapest: on this track it is very complicated to overtake. However, I don’t know, even I, once I got out of the car, had the feeling that if we had stayed on track with Max at the end of the second stint maybe we could have done a better final stint, but that’s how it went.”
“We tried to undercut Max to pass him and we did it, but then we lost the position. In the end I don’t think we could have done much more than what we did today. It was a well-managed race, difficult at the end with the used Mediums, but we were good at managing it.”
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