In the build-up to the Italian GP, Fred Vasseur insisted that Ferrari could still fight for the title. At the time, Vasseur’s comments were generally seen as wishful thinking. However, Ferrari’s Monza upgrades have proven immensely effective. The team’s updates allowed Leclerc to take a second victory of the season – and should put the SF-24 in regular contention for wins.
Ferrari upgrades improve a fundamental area
Fred Vasseur vindicated
These were some of Fred Vasseur’s comments heading into last weekend:
“It will be a rollercoaster until the end. I think we are already fighting [for the World Championship] this year.
“We won [races], so the potential is there despite some mistakes. And in any case, the development of the 2025 Ferrari is proceeding well.”
The French team principal’s optimism was partially reliant on Ferrari’s upgrade package working as intended. Thankfully for the Italian squad, the newest version of the SF-24 is a clear step forward.
Ferrari were very evenly matched with McLaren in qualifying, although the MCL38 still had an edge. On race day, however, Charles Leclerc was more than a match for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Ferrari eliminate McLaren’s key strength
Perhaps most crucially, Leclerc’s Italy win signalled that Ferrari have eliminated a key McLaren advantage – tyre management.
In previous events, the papaya team’s biggest strength has been tyre conservation. This is partly why McLaren have regularly improved from qualifying to race day.
Although McLaren could be criticised for committing to the two-stop strategy, this decision was influenced by Norris and Piastri’s feedback – who were suffering from severe graining.
The situation was far more under control for Charles Leclerc, who managed his pace perfectly until the chequered flag. To make things even better for Ferrari, more updates can be expected in upcoming rounds.
Thanks to their latest package, the limitations that created aerodynamic stability on the SF-24 are no longer present. Ferrari are now working with a new aerodynamic profile, which can serve as a reliable foundation for the rest of 2024 and 2025.
Even in the absence of updates in the next few races, Ferrari will naturally unlock more pace as they collect more data on their new package and further optimise set-up.
Red Bull are only 39 points ahead of the Scuderia in the standings. Considering the team’s trajectory, this gap can be bridged. Meanwhile, though still obviously fast, McLaren have proven they are fallible on numerous occasions this year.
Victory certainly cannot be declared – but Fred Vasseur was correct not to wave the white flag.
