Carlos Sainz stated that Ferrari has enhanced its tactical decisions thanks to the SF24.
Scuderia Ferrari has made significant progress compared to 2023. Maranello appears to be closely trailing behind Red Bull this season and even emerged victorious at the . The Italian team was previously notorious for making poor decisions during races. However, there seems to be a change this year. Now, Sainz has disclosed the main factor behind Ferrari’s improved race strategy.
The Spanish driver emphasized that the Scuderia has made advancements in all areas over the past three seasons. However, there has been a major leap in race strategy this season. Sainz attributed this substantial improvement solely to the SF24.
The 29-year-old claimed that the 2024 Ferrari challenger has enabled the Italian team to employ more flexible strategic choices, which was not possible last year. Carlos Sainz admitted that in 2023, Ferrari was compelled to make pitstops at specific laps due to the absence of such options with the SF-23. This led many to believe that Maranello was making poor race decisions.
Maranello suffered from significant tire degradation last season with the SF-23. Carlos Sainz pointed out that this prevented Ferrari from extending their stints compared to rivals who gained an advantage over the Italian team. Poor strategy had cost Sainz and the Scuderia valuable points in the past two seasons.
Consequently, Carlos Sainz asserted that a car that was gentler on the tires allowed him and his team to push harder during the race. This characteristic of the SF-24 provided Ferrari with the much-needed flexibility in race strategy, which could enable them to challenge Red Bull this season.
Undoubtedly, Ferrari seems to benefit greatly from the SF-24. The 2024 challenger not only has the speed to compete against the Red Bull RB20 but also addresses a significant weakness. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will be looking to capitalize on the team’s strategic options in the upcoming races. However, it remains to be seen if Maranello can take full advantage of this attribute.