Despite the victory in Monaco, Ferrari is last among the top teams in the last four F1 races: what happens to the SF-24?
F1 – Ferrari, the trend is worrying: from Imola, the SF-24 is last among the top teams. Despite the two extensive update packages brought to Italy and Spain, the Maranello car struggled to shine. After the splendid victory in Monaco, in the last four races he is behind Mercedes for points won. A negative trend that is starting to worry.
The Formula 1 World Championship has come to life with the Barcelona stage. On the track”world-killer” par excellence, where we recognize who has the right car to aim for the title, Max Verstappen wins in an unconvincing Red Bull. The Dutchman is perfect and clean, but once again he seems to go beyond the possibilities of the RB20.
Overall, in fact, the best car seemed to be the McLaren. New grid reference point, the MCL38 It adapts well to all types of tracks. Gentle on the tyres, it allows its drivers to push where everyone else, including Verstappen, has to preserve the compounds. What makes the difference, however, is the team’s experience: still too many errors and indecisions, both on the pit wall and on the track.
Ferrari, the SF-24 sinks behind Mercedes
When, in Imola, Charles Leclerc he had only finished third (despite the SF-24 EVO), the whispers in the paddock suggested patience. On the other hand, finishing just 7.9 seconds behind Max Verstappenon an unfavorable track, was certainly not a bad result. The joy of Monaco, then, had rekindled the souls of the Ferrari fans: the World Cup dream, almost incredibly, seemed to have become extraordinarily tangible.
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Canada’s cold, very cold shower must have been just a small hiccup. “The World Cup was not won in Monaco and it is not lost in Montreal“, it was said. The 22.7 second margin from the leader of Barcelona – Max Verstappen again – I’m a rude awakening. Even more so if you look at the ranking: fifth Charles Leclerc, sixth Carlos Sainz, both behind the two Mercedes.
Statistics in hand, starting from Imola the queen was McLaren. With 113 points scored, the Woking team closes the gap on Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. Milton Keynes is the one chasing, stuck at 91, despite three wins out of four. Third, just behind, Mercedes: 87 points for Brackley. Ferrari brings up the rear among the top teams, stopping at 83 points.
Ghosts from the past
During 2023, the feature that had the most praised the work done by Maranello had been the growth trend. For the first time in several years, the Prancing Horse’s single-seater seemed to improve over the course of the season, rather than getting worse and sometimes losing the initial advantage. A fact that seemed destined to reconfirm itself after the first part of the current season. But what happens now?
After China and Miami it was clear: the SF-24 needed to be updated. The car has been turned upside down and the first results on the track cannot be said to have disappointed. In Barcelona, however, bouncing has returned, a phenomenon never seen before on Ferrari in 2024. As analyzed by our Francesco Zazzera, the excessive aerodynamic load generated could have caused the SF-24’s suspension system to fail.
Bringing forward the package envisaged for Silverstone could give Maranello the time necessary to correct the situation. The potential of the single-seater cannot be doubtedbut the ghosts of the past must be banished: the World Cup is still open, but it will not be forever. No other wild cards will be granted to aim for the top.
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Cover photo: F1inGenerale
