Ferrari have unveiled their first major upgrade package of the 2024 Formula 1 season at Imola. The Scuderia are hoping to take a big step closer to pace-setters Red Bull.
They’ve already managed to win a race this year, with Carlos Sainz leading Charles Leclerc in a one-two at the Australian Grand Prix. But that victory was undoubtedly cheapened by Max Verstappen retiring with a brake issue.
In the past couple of races, the Italian giants appear to have slipped behind McLaren in the pecking order. Lando Norris split the Red Bulls on the podium in China and then won in Miami with the aid of what Ted Kravitz called an ‘astonishing’ upgrade.
However, Ferrari were always planning to introduce a ‘massive’ series of updates themselves at Imola. Staff at Maranello have estimated that they could gain up to three tenths in qualifying, and more in the race.
One F1 expert believes such a step is ‘almost impossible’, but Karun Chandhok says the team have been feeling ‘rather pleased’ with themselves in the lead-up to the race. This is, of course, an especially important event given that it takes place on home soil.
Inevitably, Ferrari have taken inspiration from some features on the championship-leading Red Bull. For instance, they’ve adopted the same ‘shark mouth’ sidepod entrance as the RB20.
Ted Kravitz spots McLaren boss Andrea Stella taking a look at new Ferrari
Reporting from the pit lane ahead of FP1 at Imola, Sky Sports F1 presenter Kravitz noticed McLaren team principal Andrea Stella taking a particularly close look at the revised SF-24. The former Ferrari man had clearly heard a great deal about the upgrades, and wanted to see for himself.
Stella will be wary of Ferrari making progress that alters the competitive picture at the front. Red Bull have also brought new parts, with Helmut Marko insisting he’s not ‘worried’ about the threat of Norris.
Kravitz has explained that there are as many as seven new features on the Ferrari. All of those are aimed at boosting the car’s aerodynamic performance.
He said: “Every team has brought upgrades because it’s the first European race of the season. Look – even the McLaren boss Andrea Stella is having a look at what Ferrari have brought. Ferrari have added seven items which are all purely aero improvements.”
Ferrari set to lose two staff members to Mercedes
Ferrari continued their aggressive recruitment drive this week with confirmation of two signings from Mercedes. Loic Serra joins as the head of chassis performance and engineering, while Jerome D’Ambrosio becomes deputy team principal.
According to Chandhok, Serra is ‘very, very highly rated’ over at Brackley. He feels that team boss Fred Vasseur is doing an ‘amazing job’.
And he isn’t stopping there. He’s determined to capture Adrian Newey ahead of his Red Bull exit, and he may yet lure Lewis Hamilton’s longtime race engineer Peter Bonnington.
However, there are some heading for the exit doors at Maranello too. Mercedes apparently struck a ‘quid pro quo’ deal with the Prancing Horse as they prepare to announce the arrival of two as-yet-unnamed figures.
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