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Ferrari F1 team principal Frederic Vasseur stated that the team "must not be scared" to go up against the top rivals ahead of the 2024 season opener in Bahrain this weekend.
The Italian team would be quietly confident heading into the new season as they had a solid pre-season testing. Many media outlets claimed they looked like the second-fastest team behind the reigning world champion Red Bull.
As per GPBlog, Vasseur pointed out that they should not hesitate to make a bold decision that might help up their game during the season, as the Ferrari SF-24 seems to be competitive.
He said:
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"We are up against the usual tough opponents and I want to see us adopt the same approach we had in the closing stages of last season. We must not be scared to dare if we believe a bold decision can make a difference when it comes to our performance."
"The car appears to be competitive, Charles and Carlos are in great shape and the mood in the team is super focused and we are determined to get a good result," he added.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc discusses SF-24 ahead of first race of the season
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc stated that the SF-24 seemed to have resolved their issue of wind sensitivity, which plagued them throughout the 2023 campaign.
Speaking with Motorsport.com, Leclerc said:
"On our side, it's quite a lot better. Last year's car, I think one of the main weaknesses was the wind sensitivity. Whenever the wind changes a tiny bit, our car will be extremely difficult to drive. Huge differences in terms of balance from one corner to the other."
"And this year we are in a much better place for that. So it is definitely a step forward on that. It was wanted, we worked a lot on it, and we had the confirmation already from the first day," he added.
Charles Leclerc also termed the SF-24 "easier to drive" in comparison to the 2023 challenger in trickier conditions, adding:
"Honestly, from the first lap on the simulator, it felt like an easier car to drive whenever we drove with some wind. And similar on the track from the very first laps here. Once we got here, the feeling was good. We managed to be consistent straight away. And this will help the race runs."
It will be fascinating to see if the Ferrari SF-24 can challenge the Red Bull RB20 much more closely in the races and even score some victories over them throughout the 2024 season.
