Charles Leclerc is optimistic that the realism provided by Ferrari’s simulator tools will ensure it is not exposed to suffering correlation issues on its 2024 Formula 1 car.
Ferrari is bidding to recover from a troublesome campaign last term, where its ambition to mount a sustained title charge was thwarted by a mercurial SF-23 charger.
The team’s creation, an evolution of the race-winning F1-75 from 2022, proved susceptible to changes in wind direction which hindered both drivers’ confidence to race on the edge.
Despite abandoning the inwash ‘bathtub’ sidepod solution to convert to the downwash concept, Ferrari languished third in the standings and 454 points behind Red Bull.
While Leclerc admits that catching the reigning champions will prove a difficult task, the Monegasque asserts that toppling Max Verstappen remains his primary ambition.
“To win the championship, this is the only target I have,” Leclerc said via the Daily Mail. “I’m only happy when I win, second place is not my target.”
“You need to give yourself realistic targets as well, as much as we are always optimistic and try to do the best job possible.
“We all want to win but looking at where we are starting from last year, Red Bull had a big advantage. So now we need to close the gap as much as possible.
“So we will do absolutely everything to try and, and do the step that, that is our goal in order to challenge.”
Along with Mercedes, Ferrari’s pursuit of a mid-season philosophy change last season was hampered by the architecture of its launch-spec chassis under the budget cap.
The Italian marque has elected to commence the third year under the latest ground effect regulations with a clean slate and an overhauled car concept for 2024.
Although the simulator model can’t replicate the exact conditions presented at a real race track, Leclerc is confident Ferrari won’t encounter any unforeseen surprises when the SF-24 makes its anticipated debut.
“I’m just super excited because there’s so much work going on at the moment,” he expressed.
“As I was saying, we started to develop the new car many months ago already, virtually first on the simulator in Maranello, then we see the first part physical parts.
“I saw the car yesterday, not fully painted yet, but the first model of it. So already there you start to get excited and then we get to drive the car for the first time around the launch, which will be next week, which again, I’m really looking forward to.
“There are lots of question marks. Of course, we have driven the car but then all the remains to be seen in reality, whether everything fits what we’ve felt in the virtual world and the simulator, which normally does when everything goes well.
“From now on, I’m just really excited to be next week and to be trying to the car more.
“I mean, now with the technology we get, it’s absolutely crazy how close it gets [the simulator], but there can be some miscorrelations that over the years, we always try to do the boundaries and to get as close to reality as possible, but they’ve done a great job of that, so I’m sure it will very similar to what I’ve tried on the simulator.”
Leclerc was speaking to the media for the first time since it was announced that Ferrari had signed Lewis Hamilton to partner him at the team from the beginning of next season.
That means the upcoming campaign will mark the fourth and final one that Leclerc races alongside Carlos Sainz, who replaced Sebastian Vettel in the squad back in 2021.
When asked about his partnership with Sainz, Leclerc replied: “We have a very special relationship. I mean, we are obviously friends outside the track as well.
“We are sharing good moments. We spend so much time. I mean, I see Carlos more than my own family because we’ve got 24 races now.”
