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The Ferrari SF-24 was launched in front of a small audience of guests today while the rest of the world watched online. It is the 70th car the company built to participate in the Formula 1 World Championship.
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Attending the presentation at the Fiorano track were President John Elkann, CEO Benedetto Vigna and Vice-President Piero Ferrari, along with representatives of the partners, as well as team members, starting with Team Principal Fred Vasseur and the drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The busiest season ever, with no fewer than 24 races, gets underway next week in Bahrain with the only pre-season three-day test session, followed by the first grand prix at the same venue on Saturday, 2 March.
Concept. The SF-24 is the third car of the new Formula 1 ground effect generation, but it breaks with the tradition of the past two years, starting with the look of it. The design group, led by Enrico Cardile, aimed to give Charles and Carlos a car that is easy to drive and that reacts predictably, with, as a starting point, the positive feeling the drivers had in the cockpit over the final few races of last season. The goal is to allow them to make the most of the power unit’s potential, combined with their undoubted skill behind the wheel.
Colours and details. At first glance, the car is aesthetically very different from its predecessors, and this also goes for the livery. Following a positive reception in Las Vegas last November, white makes its return together with yellow – always Ferrari’s second colour –an evident link with Modena but also a nod to the Maranello marque’s other main racing activity apart from Formula 1, namely the World Endurance Championship. As was the case last year, the SF-24 and the WEC 499P share the same shade of red, again this year with a matt finish on the Formula 1 car. It’s not the first time that a Ferrari Formula 1 car has featured yellow, although the yellow longitudinal stripes have not been seen since 1968, while this year, it’s paired with white for the first time. There is, therefore, less black on the car than in previous years, now restricted to the floor, the bargeboards, part of the halo and other small areas. The wheels are red with a double white and yellow stripe; these colours also feature the race numbers -16 and 55, which continue to use the Maranello marque’s official font, Ferrari Sans, this time in italics.
First kilometres. The SF-24 will run on track for the first time for filming, photographic, marketing and communications purposes. Still, these first few kilometres give the team a chance to carry out a shakedown and allow the drivers to get an initial idea of how the car behaves on track, having assessed it on the simulator in recent weeks.
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal:
Presenting a new car to the world for the first time is always very exciting for the drivers and me; even if we are all already thinking about the moment, we will head to head with our rivals on the track. This year, we must start where we left off at the end of last season when we were consistent front runners to improve constantly in all areas. The longest-ever Formula 1 season awaits us. Charles, Carlos and I agree we must be more clinical and effective in managing the races, making bold choices to get the best possible result at every Grand Prix. It’s often said that your fans can give you extra gear, which will be true in a closely contested championship. We are proud to know we can count on our “tifosi” from around the world.
Charles Leclerc, Driver #16:
I like the car’s look, including the white and yellow parts on the bodywork. But of course, what really interests me is how it will perform on track, as that’s all that matters. The SF-24 ought to be less sensitive and more accessible to drive; that’s what you need to do well for us drivers. I expect the car to be a step forward in several areas, and from the impression I formed in the simulator, I think we’re where we want to be. This season, the aim is to be front runners all the time, and I like to give our fans plenty to cheer about by dedicating race wins to them.
Carlos Sainz, driver #55:
When I saw the SF-24 for the first time, I couldn’t wait to jump in and fire it up. I’m looking forward to driving it on track to see if it correlates with the feeling I had from the simulator, which is the step forward we all want. The aim is to have a more driveable car and, therefore, be able to run at a consistent race pace, as these are the basic requirements to fight for wins. We drivers have done our very best to give the engineers precise feedback, and I’m sure the workforce in Maranello will have listened to our needs. We want to share with the fans something to cheer about, as they were so supportive last year, even when things weren’t going our way.
Enrico Cardile, Technical Director Chassis:
With the SF-24, we wanted to create an entirely new platform. Every area of the car has been redesigned, even if our starting point was the development direction we adopted last year, which saw us leap forward in terms of competitiveness in the final part of the season. We have taken on board what the drivers told us and turned those ideas into engineering reality to give them a car that’s easier to drive and, therefore, easier to get the most out of and push it to its limits. We did not set ourselves any design constraints other than delivering a strong and honest racing car that could reproduce on the race track what we had seen in the wind tunnel.
Enrico Gualtieri, Technical Director Power Unit:
Even though the regulations freeze power unit development, it doesn’t mean that 2024 does not present some exciting challenges. We will be tackling more races than in any other year of the championship, and that will require us to react more quickly, with fewer hours available on the test bed. To prepare for this, we have reviewed all the processes relating to the engine – preparation, signing-off and management – to maximise performance. Furthermore, we have worked very closely with our partners to optimise further procedures relating to reliability: for example, at the track, thanks to the regular monitoring of the fluids in the car, Shell can constantly check on the state of health of the power unit.
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