Ferrari is preparing to test the new updates on the SF-24 at Fiorano during two days of Filming Day. A crucial opportunity to evaluate the optimized performance of the single-seater in view of the next Imola Grand Prix.
After the Miami GP, where we saw a McLaren equipped with the most advanced package of upgrades, which it certainly has allowed Lando Norris to take first place on the podium and thus break his fast victories, all eyes are now on Ferrari and the developments expected at Imola. Developments that the Italian team decided to previously test during two days of Filming Day in Fiorano.
Unlike McLaren and Red Bull, the Maranello team has not yet introduced its upgrade package to the SF-24. Although the car has shown excellent performances since the beginning of the season, second as reported by Formu1a Uno, it may have already reached the limit of its potential, making a major update necessary, a version 2.0, to confirm itself as the second force and try to reduce the gap with Max Verstappen.
200 km with the SF-24 before Imola
With the developments introduced in Miami, McLaren managed to improve the performance of its MCL38 by 0.4 tenths, confirmed by the data collected during the track sessions, a correlation between the data and the real performance of the car that other teams, such as Mercedes, have not been able to obtain. Precisely because of the importance of the tests, the return to the standard format at Imola, with three free practice sessions, will certainly help Ferrari to identify the margins for improvement and correlate the expected results with the actual performance on the track. But to make the most of this opportunity, Fred Vasseur and Enrico Cardile decided to organize two Filming Day sessions in Fiorano, still available to the team.
On Thursday and Friday of this week, both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have the opportunity to complete 100 km each driving their single-seater, in its optimized version, to evaluate the first sensations before the Grand Prix. Although the day is mainly oriented towards marketing and content production, in this case it will also be of great use to the team.
It remains to be seen whether Ferrari's expectations and positive trend at this start of the season will be maintained and even manage to improve to satisfy its fans in the home Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday 19 May in Imola.
