© AP
The new Ferrari for the coming Formula 1 season was presented on Tuesday in its home base of Maranello. With the SF-24, La Scuderia is once again attempting to challenge Red Bull.
“The new car already looks great,” Charles Leclerc said in a short response. “This is certainly a step forward. I already notice it in the simulator and now we have to look forward to seeing how the car will perform on the track.”
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Last season the results were not too good. Ferrari was able to win exactly one Grand Prix. In September, Carlos Sainz was the best in Singapore. That was also the only GP of the season that was not won by a Red Bull driver. Max Verstappen became world champion for the third time, a mile ahead of his teammate Sergio 'Checo' Perez. Ferrari had to settle for fifth place in the World Cup final standings ahead of Leclerc, Sainz only finished seventh. Among the constructors, they narrowly lost the battle for second place to Mercedes.
“I cannot look into a crystal ball,” admitted team boss Frédéric Vasseur. “It's simple: we have to collect more points than last year. And we can do that by being more efficient. That was certainly our weakness last season. It will be a long season, everyone will have ups and downs. It then comes down to staying calm.”
Teambaas Frédéric Vasseur — © REUTERS
The last world title dates back to 2007, with the constructors in 2008. Faith in Leclerc is still great at Ferrari and the Monegasque is therefore assured of his seat, while Sainz will start his last season there. Next year he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard, son of the legendary rally driver of the same name, returned to that controversial transition for the first time on Tuesday. “I was a bit surprised, like everyone in the F1 world,” Sainz admitted. “Of course I already knew about it a few weeks earlier and so I had some time to think and let it sink in before it was announced. I received a lot of messages of support and now all I think about is the coming season. My next team? I don't know yet, but there is still time. There are some options. The most important three to four years of my career are coming and I want to make sure I'm in the right place then.”