Ferrari’s new upgrades in Monza bring them back into the fight at the joy of the Cavallino.
Ferrari was the star of the show at the Italian Grand Prix, just like any year. The Italian team arrived in Monza after the unexpected podium in Zandvoort and the intention to replicate it, at least.
But, the Temple of Speed wasn’t only the house of thousands of Tifosi to celebrate the iconic Cavallino. Monza was also the occasion for Scuderia Ferrari to test the new big package of upgrades. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had the chance to run on the new version of the SF-24.
As Fred Vasseur said after the Dutch Grand Prix, the plan was to put Ferrari back in the fight with Red Bull and McLaren.
What were the expectations?
Ideally, Monza was meant to be a track akin to the characteristics of the red cars. But with the big upgrades coming in for the home Grand Prix, some doubts arose, especially after the ones that the Scuderia has brought to Barcelona.
The upgrades of the Spanish Grand Prix should have solved some issues of the SF-24. Particularly, the floor was meant to improve the performance on fast laps and in medium-to-high-speed corners. But things didn’t go as expected and Ferrari took some steps behind compared to their direct rivals Red Bull and McLaren.
With the highly expected upgrades of Monza, the Scuderia made some changes in the floor, with an evolution of Barcelona’s. Also, there is a new low-load rear wing and new aerodynamic features. The goal was to gain some extra stability in medium and high-speed corners.
This big package contains elements predicted for the Baku and Singapore doubleheader. But Fred Vasseur’s team worked really hard in Maranello to be sure to deliver it for the iconic home race.
Whether the effort made would really pay off only the track could tell.
Better than expected
When they arrived in Monza, both Leclerc and Sainz were careful not to raise the expectations. After all, the Italian Grand Prix is a very peculiar race and teams often bring updates specifically made for this track.
But since the first Free Practice session, this evolution of the SF-24 satisfied the Ferrari drivers quite enough. When asked about it, Charles Leclerc answered:
“Overall, it was a positive day. Our performances were good, the car was nice to drive.
The upgrades that we brought to the car worked as we expected” – Charles Leclerc to Sky Sport.
But the number 16 of the Italian team was also clear on where Ferrari needs to improve. According to the driver, Ferrari has still some work to do with the balance of the car on medium and high-speed corners. This was confirmed also during the Qualifying session where both cars struggled in turns 1-2 and 4-5. Carlos Sainz explained that, especially in Q3, they suffered a change of balance due to a lot of understeer.
However, Sunday was another story. Ferrari was able to keep up with the Mclarens, with Leclerc who held Oscar Piastri behind for the last laps. Carlos Sainz, while unable to keep his position against Piastri and Lando Norris, was still capable of defending and helping his teammate.
Il vostro re di Monza 👑 🏆#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Q1d0KHgwYb
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 1, 2024
The Scuderia succeeded in the one-pit strategy. The risk was quite high, but the result made it worth it. The graining on the hard tyres, while being present, didn’t affect the performance of Charles Leclerc, the winner of the Italian Grand Prix too much. Sainz closed the race in P4, just missing out on a podium himself.
After the race, Leclerc commented:
“Our package was working quite well on a track like Monza. I still think that McLaren are the favourites, but we have definitely made a step forward” – Charles Leclerc to Sky Sport
Now, the focus of the Cavallino is on the Asian races – Azerbaijan and Singapore – which will be another interesting tasting table for the SF-24 evolution.
