Carlos Sainz has dropped a tantalizing hint that there are “pure Ferrari ideas” hiding under the hood of the Scuderia’s new SF-24 that are expected to boost the challenger’s performance.
Last season, despite securing Ferrari's only non-Red Bull victory at Singapore, the Italian team ultimately finished a distant third in the constructors' championship, trailing Red Bull by a whopping 454 points.
Determined to recapture their fighting spirit and return to the podium consistently, Ferrari has undertaken a "revamped" approach with its SF-24.
Intriguingly, Sainz has acknowledged that while the car incorporates elements inspired by their rivals, the Ferrari hasn't simply copied its competitors.
Instead, they've developed their own unique solutions, hidden beneath the surface.
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This cryptic message has ignited speculation amongst fans and commentators, who are eager to understand the nature of these unseen innovations and their potential impact on Ferrari's performance.
“In this car there are also elements inspired by Mercedes, Red Bull and Aston Martin. As always happens in F1, we pick with tweezers here and there what works,” commented Sainz, speaking to DAZN.
©Ferrari
“I think it’s a very nice car, very different from the 2023 one.
“Ferrari’s engineers have innovated, there are things on the car that cannot be seen and which are purely Ferrari ideas which I am sure will give us greater performance.”
Sainz also indirectly alluded to Ferrari’s efforts over the winter to design a car that hits F1’s minimum weight limit, noting that the bodywork of the Italian outfit’s contender has less exposed carbon fibre than its rivals.
“Everyone is trying to lighten the weight as much as possible as demonstrated by the fact that the colours on the bodywork are used sparingly,” he said.
Looking ahead, Ferrari’s technical director of chassis and aerodynamics, Enrico Cardile, has revealed that Ferrari has already updated the configuration of its car compared to the specification that was unveiled last week.
©Ferrari
But the Italian engineer insists the Scuderia will need to gauge the relative performance of its rivals before charting its development path this season.
“The only thing I can say is that the car in the wind tunnel already progressed and evolved compared to the one presented,” he said. “Then we will decide when it will be better to bring the first updates on-track.
“The first step is to see where we are compared to our competitors. The work in the wind tunnel is progressing, the car is evolving, and putting together the two staff we will decide where to bring the first updates.”
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