Will Ferrari’s Imola upgrades be enough for them to catch up to Red Bull?
Ferrari’s highly anticipated upgrade package for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has appeared for the first time in the Imola pit lane as the Scuderia aim to take the fight to Red Bull.
Ferrari have emerged as Red Bull’s most consistent threat in the early months of the F1 2024 season, with Carlos Sainz leading home a one-two finish in the Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari SF-24 Imola upgrades break cover
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
The Prancing Horse has made its way to Imola, marking the first of two Italy-based F1 2024 races. Equipped with the team’s inaugural upgrade package for the new season, they have already tested the new components during a filming day at their Fiorano test track last week.
After Ferrari tested the FIA’s newest version of the sprayguard concept, which was created to improve driver visibility during wet weather, the shakedown occurred.
Ferrari is optimistic that the update, which includes adjustments to the sidepod inlets, floor, and rear wing, will enable them to present a more consistent challenge to Red Bull.
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#Ferrari with upgrades in #Imola
Russell Batchelor, XPB#F1 #Formula1 #F1Tech pic.twitter.com/7ordzrEysd— Carlo Platella (@RacEng2) May 16, 2024
During the FIA press conference at Imola on Thursday, Sainz anticipated that Ferrari’s competition with Red Bull and McLaren is expected to remain limited to specific tracks as the development race progresses.
He emphasized the importance of the team addressing the car’s weaknesses after being disappointed by its underperformance in China last month, which marked the end of Ferrari’s flawless podium streak.
During an interview with various media outlets, including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher, he expressed his belief that the outcome will still heavily rely on the specific characteristics of each track.
Despite McLaren and Red Bull being slightly ahead, our car had excellent performance on the Miami track and was better-suited for it.
“We noticed our car returning to its usual performance after experiencing some issues in China. However, the car felt quite uncomfortable there, so it seems our performance will heavily rely on the track conditions. We hope that Imola is one of those favorable tracks for us, allowing us to deliver an impressive performance for the audience. This would be the perfect outcome.”
Moving forward, it is necessary for us to continue our development for tracks such as China throughout the remainder of the season. This is because our car is currently facing challenges in specific types of corners, and we must strive to make progress in overcoming these hurdles.
Upgrades are anticipated from Red Bull at Imola, and McLaren is prepared to have both cars fully upgraded this weekend following Lando Norris’s triumph in the prior race in Miami.
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