The next few months are crucial for Ferrari to rectify their mid-season troubles
Considering the dominant fashion Red Bull started the year, it was a surprise to see Ferrari emerge as genuine front-runners in May. The Italian outfit positioned themselves as the legitimate challengers to the reigning Champions after their Monaco victory. However, since this Monte Carlo win, Ferrari have regressed – particularly compared to McLaren and Mercedes.
Team principal Fred Vasseur is undoubtedly aware of the need for corrections.
The upgrades arriving from Maranello have created more problems than solutions, allowing McLaren to jump Ferrari in the standings.
Without George Russell’s disqualification in Belgium, Ferrari would be facing the immediate threat of losing third to Mercedes.
In this context, there is great urgency for the factory to change the team’s trajectory.
Upgrades to arrive after the summer break
Although the summer break might be easily mistaken as a reprieve for team personnel, the pursuit of improvement never ends in Formula 1.
As shown already this season, one effective upgrade package can drastically change the pecking order.
For Ferrari, there are a series of objectives to complete over the coming weeks.
The first is to understand why their previous updates (namely those brought to the Spanish GP) failed to deliver.
More specifically, the Scuderia must ensure they avoid bouncing from returning to the SF-24 after the summer.
On a more macro level, Ferrari must finalise their plans for next season’s car.
They cannot afford to enter the winter break with doubts about their development.
Until a definitive answer to their recent problems, any further updates will carry an elevated level of risk.
Aston Martin is the most obvious example of how one mistake can trigger a downward spiral.
Fred Vasseur’s squad must address any underlying limitations this August, not only to save their 2024 campaign – but also for next year’s.
