Ferrari’s journey in the 2024 season of F1 points to the fact that ‘life is a rollercoaster’. With a strong start from the Maranello outfit, the tables have turned on them now. At the season opener in Bahrain, Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari partner Carlos Sainz seemed like formidable forces, second only to the Red Bull racers. At the Australian GP, Sainz appeared in thunderous form as he took victory in Melbourne after returning from a short medical break. However, those times are in the past now, as Ferrari has seen a steep decline in its performance with a string of upsetting finishes right before the summer break started.

In 2024, the last time Ferrari looked truly competitive was in Monaco. Leclerc was strong throughout the weekend, and he finally ended up beating the “Monaco Curse” to snatch his career-first win at his home race. But only two weeks later, the Tifosi were shocked to see both the Scuderia recruits DNF their runs at the Canadian GP. Meanwhile, McLaren climbed the ranks as they surpassed Ferrari on the Championship table. So, as the races are going to resume after the summer break with the first Grand Prix happening at Zandvoort, the goal for Frederic Vasseur’s team is to regain their initial form.

Ferrari is no stranger to a comeback, as they pulled off just that last year as well. At the Dutch GP in 2024, Ferrari’s performance improved a lot. Carlos Sainz had taken the fifth spot in that race, while Leclerc had an unfortunate DNF. But in the Italian GP that followed their appearance in the Netherlands, Sainz and Leclerc got a P3-P4 finish for the team. And in Singapore, the Spaniard scripted history by becoming the only non-Red Bull racer to win a Grand Prix in 2023.

But such a comeback is not what Charles Leclerc is expecting in 2024. He said on F1’s ‘Beyond the Grid’, “The only thing that changes compared to 2023 is that we had a quick fix for the issues we understood last year. We understood the issues in 2024, and I really believe we have a fix. However, it’s not short-term, but it’s not long-term either.”

So, Leclerc knows good things are going to come up for Ferrari, but he is not sure when. However, he picked the one team that has been consistent in their performance, unlike Ferrari—but which team is it?

Charles Leclerc hails Red Bull for staying consistent in their F1 games

With frequent rule changes becoming a routine habit of the FIA in recent years, F1 has become an unpredictable sport. However, Leclerc feels that Red Bull is the only one that has remained consistent with its approach. Praising RBR, the Monegasque commented, “It’s definitely a fact that apart from Red Bull, I feel like everybody in the paddock is struggling to find that consistency.”

However, Red Bull has also seen a dip in its performance this year. Amidst rumors regarding why Max Verstappen’s team struggled to bring home great scores, an F1 pundit suggested that the lack of good scores comes from the absence of illegal car parts that RBR had been using to gain a performance advantage. However, speculations have also stated that those rumors might be baseless since Red Bull’s alleged critic, Toto Wolff, has not spoken about the team using unfair means yet.

All eyes will be on Ferrari to check out their performance in the second half of F1 2024. Do you think the Maranello force can surpass McLaren in the Championship battle?