Ferrari has achieved two third place finishes during the ongoing 2024 F1 season. The team managed a third-place finish in Bahrain and the same result at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Similar to last year, Red Bull has once again emerged as the early leader with a 1-2 finish in the first two races this year. However, the Red Bull team adviser is cautious about the threat posed by Ferrari in the upcoming races.
The adviser believes that the Maranello-based team is continuously improving in terms of race pace and tire-deg issues they faced last year. In post-race interviews in Saudi Arabia, the adviser acknowledged the strength of the Italian outfit.
While the adviser admits that Ferrari is making rapid progress, Red Bull’s driver still had a significant lead over the rest of the grid in Jeddah. He won the race by a margin of over 13 seconds compared to second place.
However, Charles Leclerc was close to surpassing the Mexican driver. At the end of the 50-lap race, Leclerc missed out on second place by just five seconds. Ferrari may challenge for second place in the upcoming races, but catching up to Verstappen still seems difficult.
The Ferrari F1 team, a former 15-time Driver’s World Title holder, has the resources to produce a championship-worthy car. The SF-24 is still in the early stages of development, so it remains to be seen if Leclerc and Sainz can compete with Verstappen by the midway point of the 2024 season.