Ferrari claims they were ‘on another planet’ in F1 testing despite Max Verstappen stealing the show

Frederic Vasseur is optimistic about Ferrari's chances in 2024 after testing SF-24 in Behrain.

Ferrari claims they were ‘on another planet’ in F1 testing despite Max Verstappen stealing the show

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

Ferrari’s had a roller coaster 2023 season, as the SF-23 couldn’t have the same level of performance during the race as they did in the qualifiers due to excessive tire wear. So, going into the 2024 season with the primary goal of challenging Red Bull, the team had to make some significant design changes. They have a solid test of the cars during Bahrain’s pre-season testing event and have reportedly fixed the tire wear issue.

Carlos Sainz, who completed first on the day with his soft tire effort, and teammate Charles Leclerc reported positive feedback from the SF-24 machine and were able to produce the fastest lap times of the respective sessions. The team principal of Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, believes that they are making progress in the right direction.

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With the consistency and the race pace, the degradation that we had yesterday for the longest stint was on another planet compared to last year; At least on this we've made a step, but now it is not just a matter of being consistent, but fast. We know that we always have to pay attention to the conclusions after the test.
Fred Vasseur said, as reported by racingnews365.com

While the Ferrai’s had some solid outings, they were still the second-best cars of the day. Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated the proceeding. They produced the fastest laps without even running in the optimal RB20 configuration. The driver seems to agree that Verstappen will continue his dominance in 2024 and will win the championship. But Ferrari is hoping to sneak in and get a few race wins with SF-24.

FS Video

Carlos Sainz’s testing in Bahrain on Day 2 cast doubt on the notion that Max Verstappen is already the world champion

In the C4, Sainz and Ferrari beat Red Bull’s fastest time from Day 1 by a full second, while Sergio Perez trailed the pack by seven-tenths in the P2. Even though the Mercedes W15 presented a challenge, Lewis Hamilton managed to secure a spot in the top three.

Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz (via IMAGO).

Dramas in the morning session gave way to an extended afternoon session led by Leclerc, which ran from 14:00 to 19:00 local time. After a half-hour stint, Leclerc completed his work and handed over the Ferrari SF-24 to teammate Carlos Sainz, ensuring a smooth transition. 

Sainz’s time of 1:31.397 during the extended session became a new record, resulting in a Ferrari one-two. On a set of C4s, his P1 time was lowered to 1:29.921. Sainz’s 1:29.921 was the standard, faster than Verstappen’s P1 time on Day 1, indicating it’s too early to crown Verstappen a four-time World Champion.

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