The Ferrari F1 team has so far proved the second-fastest outfit during the ongoing 2024 season. Carlos Sainz managed a third-place finish in Bahrain and the same was achieved by Charles Leclerc around the lightning-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Just like in 2023, Red Bull has once again come out as the early pacesetter with them having secured a 1-2 finish in the first two races this year. However, the Red Bull team adviser, Helmut Marko is wary of the Ferrari threat going ahead into the season.
Marko ardently feels that the Maranello-based team is improving continuously in terms of race pace and tire-deg issues it faced last year. In the post-race interviews in Saudi Arabia, the 80-year-old acknowledged the Italian outfit’s might.
We had more degradation than we expected with the hard tire and Ferrari is getting closer. On this track, as strange as it may seem, it wasn't easy to overtake. I'm happy with the performance and the results on two very different tracks, but I don't think it will be the same in Australia, Japan, and China. Helmut Marko said in an interview with FormulaPassion
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had decent pace in Saudi Arabia behind Sergio Perez
While Marko has admitted that Ferrari is progressing rapidly, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, still had a huge buffer over the rest of the grid in Jeddah. He won the race by a margin of over 13 seconds in comparison to second place Sergio Perez.
However, Charles Leclerc was within touching distance of getting the better of the Mexican driver. At the end of the 50-lap race, Leclerc fell short of P2 only by a margin of five seconds.
We had quite good pace because we had the fastest lap at the end and I got helped by DRS. Overall, the feeling was pretty good. It was a bit of a boring race because Red Bull were a bit too quick and behind we had a gap. Charles Leclerc said post Saudi Arabian GP, as reported by F1 Briefings
Ferrari could challenge for second place in the upcoming races but as far as catching up to Verstappen is concerned, it still looks like a tough gig.
The Ferrari F1 team being a former 15-time Driver’s World Title holder, has all the resources to produce a championship-worthy car. The SF-24 is in its early stages of development and considering this, who knows, Leclerc and Sainz might be seen fighting with Verstappen by the time the midway point of the 2024 season comes around.
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