P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ferrari began F1 2024 as Red Bull’s nearest challenger but that’s emphatically no longer the case. Ben Anderson looks at where the team is slipping behind – and asks whether there’s a deficiency in Ferrari’s understanding of what’s still possible under these rules
Ferrari started the 2024 Formula 1 season as Red Bull’s closest rival, but that is no longer the case. Lando Norris and McLaren are currently the ones pressuring Max Verstappen the most, leaving Ferrari struggling for pace and vulnerable against Mercedes. Following a disappointing Spanish Grand Prix where Ferrari’s performance fell short, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz expressed their disappointment in the team’s results. The drivers believed that Ferrari should have been competing for pole position, not finishing behind McLaren and Red Bull by such a significant margin. Despite Fred Vasseur’s more optimistic outlook on Ferrari’s performance, it is evident that the team is losing ground in the intense battle at the front of the grid. The recent upgrades introduced by Ferrari have not yielded the expected results, highlighting the team’s current struggle to keep up with their competitors.
