Carlos Sainz has subtly indicated that the Scuderia’s latest SF-24 model harbors innovative “pure Ferrari ideas” anticipated to enhance the car’s competitiveness.
Despite achieving the sole victory for Ferrari outside of Red Bull’s dominance last season at the Singapore Grand Prix, the team ended the year significantly behind in the constructors’ standings, with a 454-point gap from the leading Red Bull.
With a renewed determination to reclaim their competitive edge and secure regular podium finishes, Ferrari has adopted a “refreshed” strategy for the SF-24.
Interestingly, Sainz mentioned that although the new car borrows certain concepts from its competitors, it does not directly replicate them. Ferrari has instead focused on crafting distinctive solutions that are not immediately visible.
This veiled revelation has sparked curiosity among enthusiasts and analysts alike, who are keen to uncover the specifics of these hidden advancements and gauge their potential to boost Ferrari’s performance.
“In this car, there are also elements inspired by Mercedes, Red Bull, and Aston Martin. As always happens in F1, we pick with tweezers here and there what works,” Sainz commented.
“I think it’s a very nice car, very different from the 2023 one.
“Ferrari’s engineers have innovated, there are things on the car that cannot be seen and which are purely Ferrari ideas which I am sure will give us greater performance.”
Sainz subtly referenced Ferrari’s winter endeavors to engineer a car that meets the F1 minimum weight requirements, highlighting that the exterior of the Italian team’s vehicle features less visible carbon fiber compared to its competitors.
He said, “Everyone is trying to lighten the weight as much as possible as demonstrated by the fact that the colors on the bodywork are used sparingly.”
Moving forward, Enrico Cardile, Ferrari’s technical director for chassis and aerodynamics, disclosed that Ferrari has made revisions to its car’s setup from the version presented last week.
However, the engineer from Italy emphasizes that the team must assess its competitors’ performance levels before deciding on its development strategy for the season.
“The only thing I can say is that the car in the wind tunnel already progressed and evolved compared to the one presented,” he continued. “Then we will decide when it will be better to bring the first updates on track.
“The first step is to see where we are compared to our competitors. The work in the wind tunnel is progressing, the car is evolving, and putting together the two staff we will decide where to bring the first updates.”
