Charles Leclerc expects more than change from Ferrari in 2024

Whether the track is dry or wet, Charles Leclerc et Carlos Sainz had all the difficulty in the world to tame the Ferrari SF-23 throughout the Zandvoort ordeal. Ferrari chassis boss Enrico Cardile admitted that the “aerodynamic characteristics” for the car vintage 2023 were the main weakness of the SF-23, while promising a revolution rather than an evolution for 2024 with the aim of allowing the Scuderia to find a position more worthy of its standing in the peloton.

When asked what he could say about the 2024 Ferrari, Cardile soberly commented: “Not much yet, but it will be very different. While developing this year's car, we realized that some of the architectural choices we made were not the right ones and were limiting our development capabilities too much. Next year's car will not be an evolution of this year's car, itself an evolution of the 2022 single-seater, but a completely new car. A different chassis with a different design, and a new philosophy for the rear end to allow our aerodynamicists to achieve their goals. »

After describing 2023 as “crucial” for Ferrari engineers in understanding their problems, he added: “We know what we did wrong with the car… The weaknesses are obvious. »

The head in 2024 for Charles Leclerc

When Cardile's comments were submitted to Leclerc in the middle of his dark weekend, a few minutes after his exit from the track in Q3, the Monegasque did not hide his impatience to move on. “It's great to hear that, and obviously I can't wait to drive a brand new car, Leclerc said. First of all, I have a season to finish in 2023, but we can only go in another direction because at the moment the car is really difficult to drive. It's just very, very difficult to be at the limit. As soon as you get close to it, you really don't know what's going to happen. This is exactly what happened during my lap in Q3, so it's a painful situation. »

A brief clearing under the Dutch clouds as Ferrari sits fourth in the constructors' standings after 13 races, behind Aston Martin, Mercedes et Red Bull, and that Sainz and Leclerc occupy fifth and sixth places respectively in the drivers' championship, separated by three small points.

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