Ferrari makes fascinating prediction after “decisive” SF-24 breakthrough

If Ferrari's new chassis consistently meets the figures shown, the company will be in the middle of the battle for the constructors' championship with Red Bull and McLaren.

That's the opinion of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz after the team took a win on home soil at Monza to the delight of the Tifosi and his teammate Charles Leclerc surprised McLaren with a one-stop masterpiece.

Ferrari SF-24 floor possibly “decisive” in race for constructors’ title

Ferrari introduced a new upgrade package at Monza that included a new underbody as the Scuderia wanted to solve the porpoising problem that came with the unsuccessful updates at the Spanish GP.

The first test in Monza was indeed very encouraging: Ferrari had a “real race” with McLaren, but Sainz wants more “examples” before he can form a real opinion on the success of the new chassis.

“We were in a real race with the McLarens, it was great to see,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, in Monza.

“At the same time, it is Monza and a very special Monza. We will have to wait until we see more normal tracks again to see if this upgrade has really changed our season for the better and whether we will fight for wins from now on or go back to what we saw in Zandvoort.

“We need more samples on this new floor and we need to move more towards normal tracks.

“I guess the next normal race is Austin because the next races are very special, Baku and Singapore. Austin is a more normal race track again and that will show us how well we cope with this new surface.”

However, if the new floor reflects the numbers Ferrari sees in the simulator, then Sainz said it will be “crucial” in Ferrari's bid for its first Constructors' Championship win since 2008.

The gap to leader Red Bull is now only 39 points.

“Yes, it is crucial,” explained Sainz, “also for the constructors' championship, because I think we were the team that scored the most points.”

“And that means this is a great opportunity not only to score more wins throughout the year, but also to fight for the constructors' championship. And I believe we can do that if we manage to be fast on other tracks and be on a par with McLaren and Red Bull.”

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Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur believes this is the closest frontrunner Formula 1 has ever seen and predicts a “big fight” for the constructors' title with eight rounds to go in F1 2024.

“I think it would be a big mistake to try to draw any conclusions or change the plan,” he told media outlets such as PlanetF1.com about Ferrari's stance for the final third of the season.

“It's a very long road to Abu Dhabi, we have about 450 points at stake and the battle is so close. To be honest, I've spent a couple of years on the pit wall, but I think it's the first time in F1 that we have a situation where eight drivers can win the race without any accidents or crashes, that four teams can win or be on the podium.

“And it changes from session to session. The most impressive for me was probably Spa, where McLaren [top] in FP1, Red Bull in FP2, we started from pole and Mercedes won the race. I had the feeling that it was like that almost everywhere except for Lando [Norris]who dominated last weekend in Zandvoort.

“But I think it will stay like this until the end of the season. And it will be a tough fight. And it's true that with eight cars and this level of competition, one team can finish first or second and the other seventh or eighth. I don't want to talk about DNFs, and that can make a big difference in terms of points.

“This means that we must first concentrate on Baku and ensure stabilization there.

“I was convinced that Zandvoort would be difficult for us on paper for a number of reasons and I was convinced that the next three events would probably be a little better.”

The first stage at Monza went according to Vasseur's plan, while Ferrari now aims for its first victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a race that has been won exclusively by Red Bull and Mercedes since its debut in 2017.

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