Why Ferrari pose a serious threat to Red Bull and McLaren
As of the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari has won three races in the 2024 F1 season.
They have come in Melbourne, Monaco and at Monza – all tracks which share characteristics beyond beginning with M.
They are characteristics needed for success in the upcoming Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix that could propel Ferrari right into the constructors’ championship mix, with it currently sitting just 39 and 31 points behind Red Bull and McLaren, respectively.
The three tracks the SF-24 has won at in 2024 thus far all demand aggressive kerb-riding and excellent traction out of slow corners.
Baku, with its series of 90-degree corners to open the lap and short bursts through the narrow castle section before the final left 90 flick onto the main straight, could be ideal ground for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but especially Leclerc.
On his four visits to Azerbaijan with the Scuderia, Leclerc has been on pole three times, all of which have been successively since 2021, although through a degree of mechanical failure and the might of the Red Bull RB19, he is yet to taste victory.
As for Singapore, it was at Marina Bay last season where Ferrari and Sainz denied Red Bull a clean sweep of the season as it firmly left the RB19 form book on the shelf in Milton Keynes.
The opposition
As was proved in Monaco by Max Verstappen’s outburst, street tracks and aggressive kerb and bump riding is not a strength of the Red Bull.
Indeed, with its rigid aerodynamic concept, the team is unable to make fundamental architectural changes in season without ripping up the whole concept to start again. This alone should be a cause for concern for Red Bull before the current slump in performance is factored in.
It is therefore extremely likely that after Azerbaijan, Red Bull’s run of leading the constructors’ since the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix will come to an end with McLaren taking over.
The biggest problem facing the Papaya challenger is its drivers and trying to find a solution to the team orders saga. Of the three cars, the McLaren is the fastest with its drivers the most equally matched, which is proving a problem as Oscar Piastri goes about his business despite Lando Norris’s title bid.
But perhaps of all the cars on the grid, the McLaren has proved quick on any type of track since its transformative Miami upgrade, which is breeding confidence throughout the team as it continues to learn how to fight for a world championship.
As for Ferrari, its biggest challenges across the Azerbaijan-Singapore double-header will come from its use of tyres.
The SF-24 is kind on its Pirelli rubber, which helps in races but can be a hindrance when track temperatures are low and the track is ‘green’.
This is more of a problem in qualifying especially in Baku given the long straights for the tyres to cool and heat evaporate rather than the constant turning in Singapore, with the only Ferrari pole, on merit, coming through Leclerc in Monaco – the ultimate slow, twisty circuit.
