Ferrari’s Senior Performance Engineering Director, Jock Clear, has stated that the team’s updated 2024 Formula 1 car is not intimidating its drivers like its predecessor. The team decided to start fresh this season, abandoning the inwash sidepod solution they had initially implemented for the latest ground effect. Ferrari aimed to create a more compliant car that eliminated previous wind-sensitive tendencies. Charles Leclerc has expressed satisfaction with Ferrari’s progress during winter testing, and this has translated into the team achieving the second-fastest time in the opening races. Both Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz have secured third-place finishes, while newcomer Oliver Bearman managed to secure seventh place in Jeddah. Although Red Bull and Max Verstappen remain the team to beat, Ferrari believes that they now have a solid foundation to build upon in their pursuit of the dominant champions. Clear described Ferrari’s new car as “a bit chunkier with more chocolate on,” indicating that it offers improved performance in terms of downforce, power, and weight reduction. He also highlighted the significant progress made in terms of drivability, with both drivers feeling more comfortable with the car’s consistency and predictability. The car no longer intimidates them when faced with changing wind conditions or when following another car on the track.
Ferrari has emphasized that it has targeted the reduction of tire degradation as a specific area of improvement for its redesigned car. The initial races have shown promising signs in this regard. However, Clear acknowledges that Ferrari cannot confidently claim to have completely resolved this long-standing issue. Nevertheless, he believes that the improvements made can be traced back to the previous season.
Clear explained that they have identified the factors that contribute to enhancing tire degradation. This criticism was directed at them two years ago and at the start of last year. However, by the time they reached Vegas last year, they had demonstrated that Charles could manage the tires as effectively as Max. Therefore, Clear believes that they have a good understanding of this area and expects to continue making progress in the right direction.
The former Mercedes engineer pointed out that the earlier slot for the Suzuka race on this year’s calendar will provide teams with a reliable assessment of their overall performance. He emphasized that Suzuka is a challenging circuit that can effectively measure a car’s capabilities. Therefore, teams will gain valuable insights and information from this race, which will contribute to a better understanding of their package.