A worried Charles Leclerc was seen before Spa: “The porpoising issues might return, Spa will be a test.”
A crucial weekend: it has often been said for Ferrari in recent weeks, but this time it is Charles Leclerc himself supporting this view. After a weekend of ups and downs (but overall positive) in Budapest, now the SF-24 faces a critical test: the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, considered by many as “The University of Formula 1.”
Charles Leclerc’s Words on the Eve of Spa
Charles Leclerc highlighted the crucial importance of this weekend in Belgium for Ferrari, fearing the return of the porpoising phenomenon on the Spa-Francorchamps track. Known for its high-speed corners and elevation changes, the SF-24 might encounter the issues that were so problematic at Silverstone.
“I believe our bouncing problems will be much more present here compared to Hungary. On a track like Spa, it will be a real test for us because we will truly understand if we have made progress in the right direction with the latest updates”, said Leclerc. The floor introduced at the Hungarian GP was indeed designed to mitigate porpoising, but the real test will be the Belgian circuit, which will provide the final judgment on the work done by the Maranello team.
“We’ll see if the problem presents itself more at Spa. There are many fast corners there, and I think we might suffer more. We know there is a lot of work to do to solve the bouncing issue, but at the moment, we have no alternatives. Solutions will come later” , revealed the Monegasque, thus anticipating future updates that will arrive.
Ferrari aims to stabilize the car’s aerodynamic platform with the mechanical updates introduced for Spa, but as mentioned by number 16, the path to resolution will be long. The summer break will be crucial for the Maranello team, which hopes to see the first significant updates between the Azerbaijan and Singapore GPs. Meanwhile, at Maranello, they are already looking ahead to 2025, with Loic Serra set to join on October 1st.
Foto: Scuderia Ferrari HP
