Charles Leclerc achieved a third place finish at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The dominant force of the weekend was someone else entirely. Ferrari, on the other hand, seemed to be the strongest competition for Red Bull but fell more than 18 seconds behind the leader. The issue that slowed down the Ferrari team has been revealed.
During the Bahrain race, Leclerc had already mentioned a problem with the SF-24. However, in Saudi Arabia, he qualified on the front row and was able to split the Red Bull pair. This resulted in his first podium finish under the night sky of Arabia. Despite this achievement, Leclerc still believes that Ferrari is far behind the Austrian team.
Leclerc expressed his thoughts on the car’s performance compared to the Red Bulls. He explained that the SF-24 struggles to warm up its tires, while the previous car excelled in this area. The lack of heat generation in the 2024 car’s tires could be the reason for Leclerc’s average or below-par starts.
After the race in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc voiced his complaints about the 2024 car. There have been speculations that Ferrari might bring upgrades to improve their chances of winning the championship. However, Leclerc doesn’t believe that any upgrades will be introduced in Australia.
When asked about the possibility of upgrades for the Melbourne race, Leclerc made it clear that he doesn’t expect any. Teams have focused on the floor edges and side pods during the winter break, and it was anticipated that Ferrari would delve deeper into aerodynamic concepts. However, it seems that no upgrade will be ready for the upcoming race.
Despite the challenges, Leclerc had a successful weekend in Saudi Arabia and is expected to be the closest rival to the dominant Austrian team throughout the season. Fans around the world hope to see the gap between the two teams narrow and witness an exciting battle between these sporting giants.