Leclerc finished on the podium at the Dutch GP, a result that surpassed Ferrari’s pre-race expectations. However, this pleasant surprise did little to prevent Lando Norris from claiming victory in a commanding fashion. Fred Vasseur still believes Ferrari can fight for the Championship – but the team’s hopes depend on their next update package.
Ferrari wait for the impact of Italian GP upgrades
Potential for growth
Ferrari are a team whose mid-season development is often a topic of scrutiny. In many ways, the Maranello-based team have lived up to their reputation this season.
In a massive blow to their title hopes, the upgrades Ferrari brought to Spain were counter-productive.
Although the updates to the SF-24 successfully generated more downforce, they unintentionally generated bouncing and aerodynamic instability.
The Scuderia were forced to dedicate the last few months to mitigating this issue.
As evidenced by their result in Zandvoort, there is still a competitive foundation to build upon.
Still, the squad’s main frustration is that a miscalculation has blocked their short-term progress. To compensate for this, the upgrades arriving this weekend in Monza must be effective.
Time is of the essence
Ultimately, the Italian GP will provide plenty of insight into Ferrari’s chances in 2024. As it stands, they are still capable of putting pressure on Red Bull and McLaren in the standings.
The question is whether Vasseur’s team has understood why their development stalled.
Even Red Bull, who seemingly understood these regulations better than anyone else, are struggling to reverse their downward trajectory.
It is only McLaren, excluding the early rounds, who have delivered consistently race-winning pace.
Charles Leclerc confirmed after the Dutch GP that upgrades are imminent at Ferrari.
His comments about the updates were marked by a textbook brand of controlled optimism, as expected from a driver trying to manage expectations.
The data from the wind tunnel looks promising, though, at least according to Fred Vasseur.
The Ferrari team principal believes there is performance waiting to be unlocked.
Not only is this relevant for the upcoming nine rounds but also for the 2025 car, which Vasseur insists is progressing well.
Because of the incoming 2026 regulations, teams will dedicate very few resources to next season’s development.
For Ferrari, this means any upgrades over the coming months will also affect performance in twelve month’s time.
Understandably, the factory in Maranello is eager to see the first indications from the updated SF-24.
