“On the simulator, the sensations are good”: Leclerc encouraged by the progress made on the Ferrari SF-24

All the lights are green for the Reds! It is with obvious joy and open optimism that the Team Classic Ferrari for sale presented its new car for the 2024 season, the Ferrari SF-24. For the sixth consecutive season, this will be entrusted to Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque spoke on the sidelines of the presentation of the SF-24 to discuss the targeted areas of improvement and his objectives for 2024. The 26-year-old pilot has confidence in the development of the Italian mount, encouraged by the data collected behind the scenes.

“On the simulator, the sensations are good. The car is definitely a step forward from last year. We focused on the main weaknesses we had last year, as we do every year, and so far the car is responding very well on the simulator.", declared Charles Leclerc, who nevertheless remains cautious a few days before the first pre-season tests.

“There is obviously another important aspect to this, and that is the correlation with the actual car once we put it on track for the first time in Bahrain, underlines n°16. This will be a crucial moment that will tell us if we have done a good job this season. But so far so good and everything we have tested on the simulator has been positive. »

A Ferrari less sensitive to conditions, according to Leclerc

The Monegasque with 23 pole positions and 5 victories in Formula 1 did not win a single race last year, a season where the only non-Red Bull was taken down by his teammate Carlos Sainz, in Singapore. Charles Leclerc is counting on a less sensitive and easier to fly SF-24 to remedy this.

“I think the main thing we had to work on was sensitivity to changing conditions, he explained. We had a very capable car last year, which was very strong when the conditions were perfect, but every time one of those factors changed, whether it was temperature, wind speed, force or direction, This had a huge impact on our car. That's what we wanted to change to make this car better and easier to drive, because it was very difficult when it was windy, and that's something I'd like to see change this year. »

If Charles Leclerc does not dare to get involved in placing the Ferrari in the hierarchy, the Monegasque assumes that the only objective of this 2024 season will be to find the path to victory. “It’s always difficult to anticipate the gaps between teams. Our goal is to regain Grands Prix as quickly as possible, to become as competitive again as at the start of 2022. This is clearly the objective. Afterwards, predicting what will happen this year is always complicated: it's a sport where everything is relative compared to other teams. For now, we're focusing on us. »

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