Charles Leclerc has recalled how Ferrari’s reaction to its problems from last season’s Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix was the moment that reconsolidated his faith in the team.
Ferrari entered the previous campaign aiming to build on a promising 2022 that had seen it return to winning ways in the first year of F1’s latest ground effect regulation era.
However, Ferrari’s competitiveness was thwarted from the outset last season by a mercurial SF-23 car, an evolution of the F1-75 that placed second in the championship.
But having languished fourth at one stage, Ferrari rallied with a revised car concept to take the sole non-Red Bull win of 2023 and end three points shy of beating Mercedes.
Ahead of Ferrari launching its “revamped” 2024 challenger, the SF-24, the Italian marque announced last month that Leclerc had penned a long-term contract extension.
When asked about the renewed optimism within Ferrari’s ranks, Leclerc pinpointed Zandvoort last August as a critical turning point in the Maranello squad’s trajectory.
“I honestly think I feel this feeling since six months already, six months ago since we started that second part of the season there was really big motivation from the whole team,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week after Ferrari’s 2024 unveiling.
“I remember very clearly the moment we tested our particular test in Zandvoort in free practice and we came back from Zandvoort and we all sat down and we had very clear results in front of our eyes and I think that gave a huge motivation to the team, because we were like, okay, now we understand what are the weak points of the car, where we need to work, which direction we need to take, and from that point onwards everyone has been fully onboard with the directions taking and everything makes sense.”
Ferrari’s launch-spec machine proved to be an inconsistent package that was susceptible to changes in wind direction, particularly hampering Leclerc’s confidence.
However, Ferrari’s introduction of a modified floor based on its findings widened the SF-23’s operating window and allowed Leclerc to manipulate the front end of the car again.
The Monegasque driver would conclude the campaign in stellar form, as he fronted Ferrari’s resurgence with three pole positions and three podiums in the last seven rounds.
“After 3-4 races we brought the new floor in Japan and straight away it was a step forward in terms of sensitivities with the wind, but also the front,” he continued.
“I speak very often about wanting a strong front and that was a step forward as well, and I really hope this car can follow up the momentum that we’ve had since the second part of last year.
“I don’t think it’s a new optimism right now, I think it already started six months ago, but it’s a good thing to see and it’s exciting for the future.”
Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur revealed he was aware it would begin last season on the back foot when issues arose with its car through runs on the simulator.
The Frenchman, who is beginning his second season at the helm, admitted it was a tough decision to compromise one weekend to aid the side’s medium to long-term development.
“In terms of calendar, for sure we waked up after Zandvoort, but I’m not sure it was only linked to Zandvoort but it was part of the recovery,” Vasseur contended.
“It’s not easy to do a sacrifice of one event. It’s difficult to say let’s sacrifice FP1, FP2 to do some tests to recover, but I think it was well managed. It was the right decision at the right moment. And it was probably one of the reasons of the recovery of the team.”
