F1, Ferrari: fighting for the Formula 1 title could soon be a reality
10/11/2024 05:39 AM
The Formula 1 team known as Scuderia Ferrari is working tirelessly to achieve its goal. It’s been over fifteen years since the Prancing Horse last celebrated a world championship, a situation that is no longer acceptable for the Italian side. Competing in the top tier of the most important motorsport series is serious business. To reach the pinnacle, there is an immense amount of work required behind the scenes. And even when the car is up to the task, other factors come into play in order for a team to be able to reach the ultimate goal. Simply having the best car does not automatically guarantee victory, and we have seen this scenario with McLaren several times this season.
This opening statement isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it does reflect a situation Ferrari has found itself in recently. Take the 2018 Formula 1 season, for instance, a championship where Ferrari certainly had a car capable of winning. The technical package was on par with Mercedes' (the team that eventually won the title) and, on certain tracks, Ferrari’s car even proved superior. The real difference was Mercedes' ability to optimize the resources which their car offered.
In contrast, Ferrari struggled to maximize their car's performance, and when it came time to nail the final aerodynamic updates in order to fight for the world championship in the last three Grands Prix, Ferrari completely faltered. It was a real shame because much more could and should have been achieved that season. In addition to the mistakes with upgrades and aerodynamic packages, strategic errors also played a significant role, effectively "helping" Mercedes secure the 2018 Formula 1 title. This is a fact that cannot be sugarcoated.
Driver errors also contributed to the lost championship. Sebastian Vettel, despite his wealth of experience and four world titles with Red Bull, succumbed to the intense pressure that surrounds Ferrari, making costly mistakes on several occasions. But the point here is not to criticize Sebastian Vettel's performance, as the German remains one of the best drivers of the last two decades. This topic has been well-covered by the media, and opinions have been given. The mention of these events ties into recent comments from Ferrari's senior engineer, Jock Clear.
Lately, English senior performance engineer Jock Clear has been quite vocal, and it is refreshing to see Ferrari becoming more transparent with its fans. After spending years focusing on the drivers, the British engineer has recently taken on the role of explaining Ferrari's situation. In the past weeks, he has discussed the technical issues that have plagued the SF-24 car, problems that sidelined Ferrari's ability to compete at the top for over two months, a situation which has realistically taken the Maranello team out of the battle for the F1 titles this year. During this period, Ferrari lost the optimal setup window, leading to a series of on-track tests in an attempt to correct the mistakes made in the car's floor upgrade introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
A key component under the current technical regulations plays a crucial role in determining a car’s peak performance. We have delved into this subject extensively, aiming to explain in detail what went wrong by analyzing the SF-24’s on-track behavior, which showed no correlation with the theoretical data. The car stopped performing as expected, putting both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in a challenging position starting with the Spanish Grand Prix. Acting as the team’s spokesperson, Jock Clear pointed out that even a 5 millimeter difference in the Ferrari's floor adjustment can significantly impact the car’s performance.
And he wasn’t wrong. The British engineer was well aware that things inside the Maranello factory should have been handled differently. Recently, during his appearance on the F1 Nation podcast, Jock Clear discussed Charles Leclerc in depth. He praised the Monegasque driver, and rightly so. Jock Clear particularly highlighted Charles Leclerc’s performance in the 2022 Formula 1 championship when, for around ten Grands Prix, the F1-75 was competitive, allowing the Monegasque driver to go head-to-head with Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
This highlights why Charles Leclerc, who resides in Monaco, is seen as the right person to secure a world championship for Ferrari. From his early days in Ferrari's driver academy, the Monegasque driver showed extraordinary talent and abilities, which earned him a race seat after just one year of experience with Sauber Alfa Romeo. “The best driver we’ve seen in qualifying,” the Englishman remarked, adding that Charles Leclerc has significantly improved in race management over the years.
This is a fact worth emphasizing, especially since Charles Leclerc, while driving at 300 kilometers per hour, has often suggested or corrected strategic calls made by the Maranello team. These decisions come from the technical staff monitoring the race from behind computer screens, equipped with masses of data, yet sometimes it's the driver who makes the right call. Jock Clear's "mea culpa" is admirable, as he acknowledges the factors we have previously discussed. If Mercedes and Red Bull have won, it’s because of the collective effort put into every aspect of their work.
A competitive car is essential, of course, but equally important is full support from the entire team. Having Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen on your roster isn’t enough on its own. If the team isn't operating at the same high level as the drivers and the car, the outcome remains the same: you lose. Scuderia Ferrari has likely already come to this realization behind closed doors. But the fact that it's being openly discussed now, as the Maranello team aims to build a winning cycle, is an encouraging sign. A deep self-awareness is necessary to reach the top, and according to Jock Clear, the time for Ferrari to take this critical step has finally come.
— see video above —
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