Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

Piastri slams "unacceptable" Sainz blue-flag incident, accepts McLaren strategy in Hungarian GP

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Piastri slams "unacceptable" Sainz blue-flag incident, accepts McLaren strategy in Hungarian GP

How blue-flag malfunction caused chaos in F1 Hungarian GP

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
How blue-flag malfunction caused chaos in F1 Hungarian GP

DS Penske had key to success in Formula E Tokyo E-Prix

Formula E
Tokyo ePrix II
DS Penske had key to success in Formula E Tokyo E-Prix

Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri

F1 Hungarian GP: Norris wins from Verstappen and Antonelli, Piastri retires with gearbox failure

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Norris wins from Verstappen and Antonelli, Piastri retires with gearbox failure

BTCC Thruxton: Sutton takes victory in race two after investigation

BTCC
Thruxton
BTCC Thruxton: Sutton takes victory in race two after investigation

DTM Oschersleben: Bortolotti snatches victory after Manthey pitstop mistake

DTM
Oschersleben
DTM Oschersleben: Bortolotti snatches victory after Manthey pitstop mistake

LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Norris wins from Verstappen, Piastri retires with gearbox failure

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Norris wins from Verstappen, Piastri retires with gearbox failure
Formula 1 Saudi Arabian GP

More robust Ferrari 2024 F1 car "not scaring" Leclerc and Sainz anymore

Ferrari's Jock Clear says the team's SF-24's all-round improvements have turned it into a car that "is not scaring" Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz anymore.

Filip Cleeren
Filip Cleeren
Edited:
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Ferrari made wholesale changes to its car after its drivers struggled throughout 2023 with its unpredictable behaviour and sensitivity to changing conditions.
That made it particularly hard for Leclerc and Sainz to keep up their race pace, often qualifying well before dropping far behind Red Bull.
But while Red Bull still has the dominant car, as evidenced by Max Verstappen's emphatic win in Bahrain, Ferrari believes it now has a much improved recipe.
"Generally it's just a bit chunkier with more chocolate on," senior performance manager Jock Clear said.
"It goes quicker everywhere under all conditions; more downforce, more power, lighter, because that's fundamental development. [In] all of those areas, the car is slightly improved.
"On drivability, we talked about this last year with the Ferrari and that's a big step we've made over the winter.
"Both drivers are much more comfortable with how consistent the car is and how much more predictable and drivable it is, so that when you're behind someone, when the wind conditions change, it's not scaring them."
Jock Clear, Driver Coach, Ferrari

Jock Clear, Driver Coach, Ferrari

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Clear admitted that Ferrari "can't put a hand on our heart" claiming that its tyre management issues are entirely a topic that has been solved, but felt Ferrari had already made a step towards the end of last season.
"We think we understand the kind of things that allow you to improve your tyre degradation," he explained.
"It was a criticism levelled at us maybe two years ago and at the beginning of last year, but I think we demonstrated last year by the time we got to Vegas, you were seeing that Charles was able to manage the tyres just as well as Max.
"So, I think it's an area that we understand. And as such, we would be wholly expecting that we're continuing in the right direction with that."
Read Also:
Clears thinks both Ferrari and its rivals will have a better grasp of any strengths and weaknesses by the fourth race in Japan, as the challenging Suzuka is set to highlight them.
"The way that the calendar is this year, I think four races in we will have a pretty good idea because you've got Japan in there, which is a hell of a circuit to measure a car," he added. "So, at that kind of circuit, you're going to find out a lot."

Share Or Save This Story

Previous article Alonso will make F1 future call in “next few weeks”
Next article Andretti sends signal to F1 with images of future US base

Top Comments
More from
Filip Cleeren

Piastri slams "unacceptable" Sainz blue-flag incident, accepts McLaren strategy in Hungarian GP

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Piastri slams "unacceptable" Sainz blue-flag incident, accepts McLaren strategy in Hungarian GP

F1 Hungarian GP: Norris wins from Verstappen and Antonelli, Piastri retires with gearbox failure

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Norris wins from Verstappen and Antonelli, Piastri retires with gearbox failure

Why nationality should be 'no factor' as Haas considers Fornaroli and Camara for F1 2027

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why nationality should be 'no factor' as Haas considers Fornaroli and Camara for F1 2027
More from
Carlos Sainz

How blue-flag malfunction caused chaos in F1 Hungarian GP

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
How blue-flag malfunction caused chaos in F1 Hungarian GP

Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri

Why Williams is still feeling the weight of expectation

Formula 1
Formula 1
Why Williams is still feeling the weight of expectation
More from
Ferrari

Why Hungarian GP pole position was an ‘overachievement" for Norris – and Ferrari still has a better car

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why Hungarian GP pole position was an ‘overachievement" for Norris – and Ferrari still has a better car

Hamilton slapped with grid drop for impeding Piastri in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Hamilton slapped with grid drop for impeding Piastri in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying

Hamilton under investigation by stewards over impeding Piastri in Hungarian GP qualifying

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Hamilton under investigation by stewards over impeding Piastri in Hungarian GP qualifying

Latest news

Piastri slams "unacceptable" Sainz blue-flag incident, accepts McLaren strategy in Hungarian GP

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Piastri slams "unacceptable" Sainz blue-flag incident, accepts McLaren strategy in Hungarian GP

How blue-flag malfunction caused chaos in F1 Hungarian GP

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
How blue-flag malfunction caused chaos in F1 Hungarian GP

DS Penske had key to success in Formula E Tokyo E-Prix

Formula E
Tokyo ePrix II
DS Penske had key to success in Formula E Tokyo E-Prix

Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri