The 2024 Formula 1 season has gone as well as Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur could have hoped after the first six race weekends.
Carlos Sainz might be on his way out at the end of the season but he was the first driver to deny Max Verstappen and Red Bull a clean sweep of wins before Lando Norris’s victory in Miami.
Speaking on The Fast and The Curious Podcast, journalist Christian Hewgill has shared why Ferrari are very pleased heading to the next race in Imola.
F1 paddock gossip suggests Ferrari are feeling ‘rather pleased’ heading to Imola
Despite McLaren appearing to close the gap to Ferrari and potentially overtake them in terms of raw pace in Miami, Frederic Vasseur’s team are still 2 behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
After a middling start to the campaign, Charles Leclerc looks much closer to his best.
He qualified on the front row alongside Verstappen in both races in Miami and managed to stay in touch with the Dutch driver throughout the Sprint Race.
McLaren have taken big steps forward with their new upgrade package and even Oscar Piastri managed to comfortably run ahead of Leclerc with only half the upgrades on his car.
Miami is a more unique track on the calendar and Ferrari won’t be too worried that McLaren have suddenly leapfrogged them in terms of raw pace.
There’s another reason why Ferrari are very pleased heading to Imola and that’s due to the upgrade package they’re bringing.
Every team is trying to maintain a steady pace of improvements off the track and the last two race weekends have been Sprint events, meaning very limited running before the important sessions.
Even teams who brought upgrade packages to China will be hoping to use Imola to fully explore how their cars behave in different circumstances.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Ferrari heading to first home Grand Prix of 2024 with exciting upgrade package
Speaking about the various upgrade packages being delivered up and down the grid, Hewgill said: “Listen, that’s a real win, McLaren’s upgrades are the real deal and the gossip amongst the weekend had been these upgrades from McLaren are fantastic, like wow, this is good!
“Now, I still think Red Bull are the overwhelming favourites, I still think they’ll win the titles this year.
“But this felt like the most significant step forward for a team that we’ve seen and it really feels like McLaren are taking a step forward.
“And, I heard more gossip, that apparently Ferrari are rather pleased with their upcoming upgrades that they’re due to bring in Imola.
“Last year, Red Bull only didn’t win one race, they couldn’t hook it up and get the car happy for one race.
“This year, that’s happened twice: in Australia, they weren’t happy with the car and they had a mechanical problem. In Miami, they’ve not been able to hook the car up.
“It does feel like the needle is shifting.”
Ferrari could make key signing that makes future upgrade packages even more effective
While Ferrari might be pleased with how their upgrade package is looking for Imola, they’re working hard behind the scenes to improve the quality of the team developing them.
Adrian Newey is now on the market and reportedly seriously considering an offer from Ferrari.
The 65-year-old has masterminded more than a dozen championship titles and considering Ferrari fans have been waiting since 2008 since they last won a title, Newey and the arrival of Lewis Hamilton could make all the difference.
On top of that, Ferrari also want his Red Bull colleague Pierre Wache, however, he’s recently signed a new deal with the current Constructors’ champions.
The post ‘I heard more gossip’: Journalist now shares why Ferrari are feeling ‘rather pleased’ heading to Imola appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
