FERRARI TRIAL FRESH INNOVATION ON EVE OF ANTICIPATED RED BULL-ESQUE UPGRADE DEBUT

With Ferrari reportedly plotting an imminent filming day to unveil Red Bull-inspired upgrades, the Scuderia has already hit the test track to trial a new piece of kit aimed at improving wet-weather racing.

Ferrari started the F1 2024 campaign as seemingly the clear ‘best of the rest’ behind Red Bull, though McLaren has taken their first shot in the development war and did not miss, Lando Norris driving the heavily-upgraded MCL38 to victory in Miami. Ferrari though are apparently readying their response.

Ferrari head to Fiorano to test F1 spray guards

‘Between Thursday and Friday’, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will reportedly put a 2.0-spec SF-24 through its paces at Fiorano, which will feature Red Bull-styled sidepods with slimmer radiator openings among wider changes.

However, while Ferrari has indeed taken to the Fiorano track on Thursday, the first point of call was to aid the FIA in testing a more aggressive version of the proposed Formula 1 spray guards, which will not count as a filming day since the FIA brought this test together.

The inaugural test at Silverstone in 2023 resulted in no clear gains found when it came to improving the impact of spray produced by the F1 cars, Mick Schumacher and Oscar Piastri taking part in that test, but images online showed the latest FIA attempt which Ferrari’s Arthur Leclerc and Oliver Bearman were trying out at Fiorano.

The new version of the spray guards cover almost the entirety of the wheels.

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And with a test crucial to Ferrari’s season – in running an upgraded SF-24 – apparently set to follow, Charles Leclerc did not attempt to hide the significance, expressing his hope that Ferrari can match the progress of rival McLaren.

“It will be a very important upgrade,” he said. “It will determine how the rest of our season plays out. I’m looking forward to that and I hope that we can take a big step forward.

“It’s going to be an arms race of upgrades this year, and I’m glad that we’ll soon have new parts on our car that will hopefully be as good as McLaren’s.”

The upgraded SF-24 should be good to go for the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ferrari’s first home race of F1 2024, but while team principal Fred Vasseur believes Ferrari can challenge for the victory there, that is not a prediction inspired solely by the upgrades.

“Without a doubt, we will be able to fight for the victory in Imola,” said Vasseur last time out at the Miami Grand Prix. “But I believe there is a gap that varies from track to track and from compound to compound, which makes more of a difference than an update.”

Ferrari sit P2 in the current F1 2024 Constructors’ standings, 52 points behind Red Bull and 63 ahead of McLaren.

Read next: ‘Highly-awaited Mercedes’ predicted to ‘make others pay a high price’ at Imola

2024-05-09T12:13:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd