formula 1
Leclerc enthuses: New Ferrari “looks great”
Ferrari has presented its new racing car for the 2024 Formula 1 season. photo
© —/Scuderia Ferrari/PA Media/dpa
Ferrari’s SF-24 is revealed. With the new Formula 1 model, Scuderia wants more than just a victory like last year. The drivers already have a good feeling.
“The new car looks great,” enthused Charles Leclerc: “The car is definitely a step forward.” After the positive impressions in the simulator, what matters most is how the car behaves when the test drives start in Bahrain next week, said the 26-year-old. In addition to Monegasque Leclerc, Carlos Sainz (29) will start in the second Ferrari.
Hamilton will move to Ferrari in 2025
The Spaniard clinched the only victory for the Scuderia last year and thus also ensured the only victory by a non-Red Bull driver. After the coming season with a record number of 24 Grand Prix, Sainz will have to vacate his cockpit; from 2025, record world champion Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari. The 39-year-old Briton presented the German factory racing team’s new racing car with Mercedes on Wednesday, and Verstappen unveiled the new Red Bull on Thursday.
“I can’t look into the crystal ball,” emphasized Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur, who wants to build on the second half of last season. “We have to collect more points, we have to be more efficient, that was certainly the biggest weakness last year.” Every team will have ups and downs in this long season. It’s then a matter of not overreacting, he said to the Tifosi.
According to Ferrari, the new red race car, which also features slightly more yellow and white trim than the previous model, will be easier to drive and the behavior will be more predictable. How good the SF-24 is will become clear on the first Grand Prix weekend at the latest. The season starts on March 2nd with the Bahrain Grand Prix.