Fans around the world would like to see a close battle between the two teams, especially after Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix in the wake of Max Verstappen‘s early retirement, and we didn’t get to see what would have happened in a straight fight.
The reality could well be that on Honda’s home ground, Red Bull will once again be a step ahead and that Maranello’s challenge for victories on merit may have to wait until a more suitable circuit comes around.
However, Ferrari will certainly be better off relative to the world champion team than it was at Suzuka back in September. The SF-24 is a better and more consistent car overall than its predecessor, and in particular, it has displayed improved performance on the sort of high-speed corners that are a key feature of the track.
Sainz is keeping his feet on the ground, and he concedes that the team might have been flattered by the form it displayed in Melbourne.
“It’s true to say that in Australia, we looked very strong,” said the Spaniard. “But normally in these cases, you just need to get the average of the first three races.
“And the average is we’re still a couple of tenths off the Red Bull and we need probably an upgrade, especially in tracks like Suzuka, to fight them.
“The job that the team has done this year is extremely good, because the car is a very good step forward. It’s just we need more of the same, if we want to go for the wins in tracks like maybe Japan.
“There is no big upgrade coming here. We have a very small thing in the car at the rear. But it will come later in the season. And I hope that is another good step in the same direction.”
Some observers have suggested that Suzuka will be an important test of the pecking order as a “normal” track with a good combination of fast and slow corners, after the three opening events at venues that each have their own particular quirks.
However, Charles Leclerc has downplayed that view, indicating that all tracks matter when it comes to judging a car’s true potential.
Leclerc believes that Red Bull will once again have a clear advantage in Japan, citing a specific factor that played into Ferrari’s hands in Melbourne, and perhaps flattered the team that weekend.
“For now with what we know I would expect Red Bull to still have the upper hand this weekend, especially coming to race day,” he says. “We have a particular strength at tracks where front graining is a thing.
“In Australia it was the case two…
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