F1 | Unbridled Ferrari SF-24, but not the way Leclerc would like it

On the eve of each season, as per tradition, we hope for something that goes beyond the aseptic numbers that emerge from simulators and wind tunnels. However, in Formula 1 over the last ten years the famous 'correlation' has become reliable, to the point of nipping even the slightest temptation to hope for a miracle in the bud.

The Bahrain Grand Prix confirmed what had been seen in the tests, Ferrari begins the 2024 world championship in the role of second force. Here there may be two schools of thought, those who are diehards of hope even against logic, and those who keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Frederic Vasseur follows the manual of the good team principal, and rightly underlines the glass half full. “All things considered, we achieved the most realistically possible – he commented after the race – Carlos' start wasn't perfect, but he then recovered very well and fought with Perez until the end of the race. We knew that at the end we would be on hard tires while Perez would be on the Soft: our aim was to put pressure on him and we did it until the last lap but it wasn't enough.”

The Scuderia's world championship began with a third and fourth position, a result conditioned by the brake problems that affected Leclerc. On the Sakhir circuit, one of his favorite places, Charles found himself without his sharpest weapon, namely braking. “Leclerc's braking problems lasted throughout the Grand Prix – confirmed Vasseur – and because of this he flattened his tires in the early stages, forcing us to bring forward his first pit stop. We will investigate the causes of the problem that forced us to operate at less than ideal temperatures.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 and Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Leclerc took a lot of effort to complete the 57 laps scheduled, and the final twelve points are anything but a negligible haul. The podium, very important to open the season from a good point, arrived thanks to a very concrete and determined Sainz, especially in trying not to let up on Perez until the checkered flag. “In the last part of the race I tried to manage the tires to try to attack Checo – confirmed Sainz -, but they are still faster than us”.

Overall, Ferrari performed better than Mercedes and McLaren (which is not to be taken for granted on the eve of the first meeting) but the very large gap that separates it from Red Bull remains. “Throughout the weekend we went well on the fastest lap – clarified Vasseur – while on the race pace we need to make progress if we want to compete with Red Bull. Having said that, I consider this race a good starting point given that compared to a year ago our delay is significantly reduced. We will continue to develop the SF-24 and I am confident that we will often fight for first place.”

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Both Sainz and Leclerc spoke of the single-seater as a good basis on which to base the season, but the first three races (on different types of tracks) will be needed to get a clear picture.

“Jeddah will be a completely different story – confirmed Vasseur – in layout and asphalt it has little to do with Sakhir, but we will have a better picture of the situation after Melbourne. But I can say that compared to a year ago, when we were one second behind Red Bull, we have halved the gap. Obviously it's not enough, we're still behind, but closing the first weekend of the year with a third and fourth place is certainly not a drama.”