Ferrari has revealed its 2024 F1 contender, the SF-24, which it hopes will allow the Scuderia to give Red Bull a run for its money at the head of the field.
Recharged and ready to rumble on the back of last week’s news of Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Maranello in 2025, Ferrari aims to produce this year more that just a solitary win like in 2023.
And the Italian outfit is banking on its third ground-effect design since 2022 to fulfill its ambitions.
On the face of it, it looks like Ferrari has produced a relatively conventional car, however the teal insists its SF-24 "breaks with tradition of the past two years, starting with the look of it."
Indeed, the car is aesthetically very different to its predecessors and this also goes for the livery which includes the presence of a white and yellow trim, with the latter colour a nod to the city of Modena but also to Ferrari’s Le Mans-winning contender in the World Endurance Championship, the WEC 499P.
There’s also less black on the car than in pervious years, while the wheels are red with a double white and yellow stripe, with these colours also featuring on the race numbers of Charles Leclerc (16) and Carlos Sainz (55).
“Presenting a new car to the world for the first time is always a very exciting moment for me and the drivers, even if we are all already thinking about the moment we will go head to head with our rivals on track," commented Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur.
“This year, we must start off where we left off at the end of last season, when we were consistent front runners, with a view to constantly improving in all areas.
“The longest ever Formula 1 season awaits us and Charles, Carlos and I all agree, we must be more clinical and effective in how we manage the races, making bold choices, in order to get the best possible result at every Grand Prix.
“It’s often said that your fans can give you an extra gear and that will definitely be true in what will be a very closely contested championship and we are proud to know we can count on our 'tifosi' from around the world."
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Under the hood, Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile emphasized a design that aims to be “easier to drive” for Leclerc and Sainz, and allows them to make the most of the power unit’s potential.
“With the SF-24 we wanted to create a completely new platform and in fact, every area of the car has been redesigned," he said.
"Even if our starting point was the development direction we adopted last year and which saw us take a leap forward in terms of competitiveness in the final part of the season.
"We have taken on board what the drivers told us and turned those ideas into engineering reality, with the aim of giving them a car that’s easier to drive and therefore easier to get the most out of and push it to its limits.
“We did not set ourselves any design constraints other than that of delivering a strong and honest racing car, which can reproduce on the race track what we have seen in the wind tunnel.”
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Enrico Gualtieri, Ferrari’s technical director power unit says his department has stepped up its efforts in terms of processes in order to maximise performance during F1’s record 24-race season.
“Even though power unit development is frozen by the regulations, it doesn’t mean that 2024 does not present some interesting challenges,” he said.
“We will be tackling more races than in any other year of the championship and that will require us to react more quickly, with fewer hours available on the test bed.
"To prepare for this, we have reviewed all the processes relating to the engine - preparation, signing-off and management - in order to maximise performance.
“Furthermore, we have worked very closely with our partners to further optimise procedures relating to reliability: for example, at the track, thanks to the regular monitoring of the fluids in the car, Shell is able to constantly check on the state of health of the power unit.”
Ferrari confirmed that Carlos Sainz would be giving the SF-24 its track debut and shakedown run today at Fiorano.
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