Trackside view: What makes the Ferrari look so formidable.
The Ferrari passes the eye test with flying colours. In the day, and in the final hour in cooler evening conditions, it has a poise about it that explains why drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been so enthused about this test compared to 12 months ago.
Feb 23, 2024
by Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Watching trackside from the outside of Turn 10 lets you see the cars enter through Turn 9 as well, so you get a full view of the one-two punch of awkward left-handers – and how the cars deal with that. The Ferrari handled all of this with aplomb in different conditions, with different tyres and different drivers behind the wheel.

It rarely looked like it was anywhere its driver didn’t want it to be – a Sainz lock-up was the only notable issue, with a late Leclerc long run particularly impressive. One minor apex slip conveyed an impression the front might be weakening but this proved a mirage as next time by (and in subsequent laps) it was back kissing the apex kerb again.

The Ferrari impressed elsewhere, too. It caught the eye of Edd Straw and Gary Anderson when they were trackside at Turn 11 – a very different, long, medium-speed corner after a high-speed approach from the back straight. From day one it looked consistent, turned in nicely and didn’t pick up understeer through the corner.

‘Ferrari passes the eye test with flying colours’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/b...ks-impressive/


The Ferrari race sim offering clues to its Red Bull-beating potential
11:30 Sat, 24 Feb 2024.
Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com

Formula 1 teams and fans well know that it is not single-lap pace that counts when it comes to working out who has won the pre-season testing war. It is why Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc coming out on top of the overall timing sheets over the course of this week’s Bahrain test has barely registered in conversations.

Sainz’s overall test-topping time of 1m29.921s, set on the second day, was around seven tenths faster than the Red Bull benchmark of 1m30.679s set by Sergio Perez on the same afternoon. However, no one is suggesting that it has any resemblance to the true picture of performance (even taking into account a 0.6s time difference in the tyre compounds they used). Indeed, the consensus among the paddock is that Red Bull is clearly going into next weekend’s F1 season-opener as the team to beat.

As teams crunched through the data, it was a race-sim run from Sainz on the second evening, running in similar but not identical conditions to Perez on the same programme, that offered some intrigue about just how good the new SF-24 may be… …one thing is not in doubt from the Sainz race sim – that the high tyre degradation which derailed much of Ferrari’s 2023 campaign appears to have been cured.

‘Ferrari race sim offering clues to its Red Bull-beating potential’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...tial/10579409/


Ferrari ends F1 testing fastest amid shock bolter... but world champ to have ‘good head start’
February 24th, 2024 9:15 am
AFP from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the fastest time as Formula One’s winter testing ended overnight on the same Sakhir circuit which will stage the season opener next week, but he admitted world champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull have “a good head start”. Leclerc was 0.046sec ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes while China’s Zhou Guanyu was a surprise third fastest in a Sauber.

Verstappen, the overwhelming favourite to make it four titles in a row in 2024, was only fourth fastest with Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda of Racing Bulls rounding out the top five. However, Verstappen opted to drive on softer tyres, therefore making him relatively slower on the day.

Over the three days of testing Sainz, who will lose his seat to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the end of the season, was the only driver to dip below 1min 30sec. “I think I can say that we are off to a good start, if only by looking at our own performances,” said Ferrari team chief Frederic Vasseur.

‘Carlos Sainz was the only driver to dip below 1min 30sec’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...2788a31d30eccf


Podcast: Ferrari finishes test on top but can it usurp Red Bull?
Feb 23, 2024
The Race

Ferrari headed another day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain as the test concluded, but does that mean it can really fight Red Bull when the season starts? That is just one of the topics The Race F1 Podcast delves into today, as Gary Anderson, Mark Hughes, Samarth Kanal, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Edd Straw are all onboard for a key episode.

There’s a detailed analysis of Ferrari versus Red Bull, why the gap could be closer than first thought, and as its testing, part of the equation is trying to ascertain whether pace is genuine and if fuel loads and engine modes are masking or heightening performance.

‘Why the gap could be closer than first thought’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/p...surp-red-bull/


Charles Leclerc has ‘more hope’ for Ferrari in F1 2024 season after Bahrain test
23 Feb 2024 6:11 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Charles Leclerc admitted his belief that Red Bull are “quite a bit ahead” than their rivals, but Ferrari are working off a “much stronger base” compared to 2023. Having put the SF-24 through its paces over the course of pre-season testing, Leclerc was pleased with what he has seen so far, but conceded that Red Bull are still the team to beat as it stands.

“I think the first good thing is that there are no surprises,” Leclerc told media including PlanetF1.com. “Honestly, from the first lap on the simulator, it felt like an easier car to drive,” Leclerc stated. “Whenever we drove with some wind, and similar on the track from the very first laps here. Once we get here, and the feeling was good, we managed to be consistent straightaway, and this will help the race runs.”

“However, as I’ve said these past few days, drivability and competitiveness are two very different things. So we still have to work a lot and then we’ll see how competitive we are next Friday, but I am confident that we definitely did a step forward in terms of tyre management, because whenever tyres are more used, the weaknesses of the car are more apparent, you can feel them more. And with the characteristics of this car, it should be quite a bit better.”

‘More hope for Ferrari’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/charle...f1-2024-season


Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari ‘won’t count on me’ for 1 thing after signing Lewis Hamilton
Sat 24 February 2024 18:00
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari ‘will not count on me’ to develop the SF-24 after signing seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes to replace him in 2025. Having lost his seat on the Formula 1 grid for Ferrari, Sainz is now focusing on joining a new project that matches his ambitions. The Spaniard would also prefer to fix his future early to focus on the 2024 season. But Sainz knows Ferrari will not rely on him to develop the SF-24.

He has told AS: “I would like to first solve my future to be clear about where I am going to go and what comes next. Afterwards, I’m sure the focus changes a little because I already know that this season I only have to focus on the now. They won’t count on me much to develop the car, and that allows me to focus exclusively on getting the most out of the SF-24 and myself. Now, we talk to everyone, and see what position each team is in and what project fits more with my intentions.”

‘Focus exclusively on getting the most out of the SF-24 and myself’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/car...ewis-hamilton/