Sainz Clocks Third in Practice - Leclerc Close Behind

Ferrari: SF-24 Upgrades Effective, Says Leclerc Sainz

30/08/2024

Ferrari’s SF-24 impresses, with Sainz and Leclerc proving competitive in Monza’s practice rounds.

At their home circuit, Ferrari is anticipated to unveil updates, with the SF-24 undeniably among the top eight vehicles from the four leading teams vying for pole position and victory at Monza.

Carlos Sainz clocked the third fastest time, a mere tenth behind Lewis Hamilton.

“It was a very busy and interesting Friday. The Monza track has undergone significant changes, with very different kerbs and a new surface. For this reason, the challenges and boundaries are quite different from previous years, and we had to adapt to a new scenario in terms of car settings and understanding tyre degradation.”

“There is much work to be done tonight to improve for tomorrow, but overall, it was a positive start to the weekend.”

Charles Leclerc was fifth, just a tenth and a half off the pace set by Mercedes F1.

“It was a generally positive day. Our performance is good, driving the car was enjoyable, and the improvements we made to the vehicle are working as expected.”

“Our main focus will now be on balance, as there is still room for improvement in this area. Sunday’s race will be challenging for everyone, especially because of the new asphalt, so tyre management will be crucial. We are closer to our competitors than at Zandvoort, but they remain very strong and we will face stiff competition tomorrow.”

Jock Clear, Ferrari’s performance chief, provided an update on the enhancements made by Ferrari, starting with the floor.

“It’s an evolution, not entirely new. We hope it will suit the remainder of the races well. This area isn’t specifically a floor for Monza, so it’s merely an additional development on the same theme.”

“The rebound comes from the initial gain of a downforce load. The car is suddenly sucked downwards, then, of course, it stalls and lifts again. You’re always looking to gain that little extra that might pull the car down and then lift it again. You’re always trying to get a bit more but maintain it without causing a rebound.”

Clear denied that Ferrari had specifically organized to introduce improvements for its fans.

“There was no additional pressure; it’s a natural development, simply the schedule,” stated one team insider.

“It’s one of those things where the x-axis of development is always time. Anyone can develop—the key is how quickly you do so.”

“In F1, there’s never a moment when you choose not to develop as rapidly as possible—except perhaps a year ago for Red Bull, who may have opted not to introduce upgrades because they didn’t need them when in such a fortunate position.”

“But for most teams, everything is done as swiftly as possible. There’s no mindset that dictates we must do it at Monza. If it were feasible to implement it at Monza, we would have always done it there, even if Monza had been Zandvoort or Barcelona. It’s not because it’s a Ferrari track and we’re here in Italy.”

“We develop as quickly as possible, because that’s what F1 demands.”

Sainz Clocks Third in Practice - Leclerc Close Behind

Sainz Clocks Third in Practice, Leclerc Close Behind Sainz Clocks Third in Practice, Leclerc Close Behind

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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