On 8th July, Ferrari lost a key figure from their team. Technical Director Chassis and Aerodynamics, Enrico Cardile, left the team immediately after a 19-year partnership. In another era, this might’ve not easily affected the Maranello outfit. But with the menacing ‘bouncing’ issue dragging them from second-fastest to fourth-fastest, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur was forced to take on additional responsibilities. However, after a long month of witnessing his drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggle, the weight has been lifted off the Frenchman’s shoulders.

Vasseur has found a worthy leader to lift their Aerodynamics department’s efforts to brilliance. Diego Tondi, Ferrari‘s Head of Aerodynamic Development, has been promoted to Head of Aerodynamics, effectively replacing Cardile. Tondi began working for Ferrari in 2007, starting as an Aerodynamic engineer for road cars. In 2008, he tasted the F1 life for the first time as Aerodynamicist for the Scuderia, when Stefano Domenicali (current F1 CEO) became the team’s new Team Principal.

In a LinkedIn post, Tondi announced the assumption of his new role. “I hold a new job position: Head of Aerodynamics!” he wrote. Frederic Vasseur has made another dream come true for a man to whom motorsport means the world. “My passion for motorsport was born more than 35 years ago when as a child I watched Grands Prix on television with my father,” Tondi told Motorionline in 2022.

Tondi’s promotion will come as a breath of fresh air for Ferrari. Though he hasn’t witnessed the historic team win a championship in the 17 years he’s burned the midnight oil for them, under Vasseur, this is a changed team. The Frenchman has also subtly warned their rivals with a promising statement to go all guns blazing after the summer break.

Frederic Vasseur: Ferrari “pushing like hell” for a second-half comeback

Like Sergio Perez, Ferrari has also churned out underwhelming performances after the first few races. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s victories in Australia and Monaco respectively should’ve been the beginning of a championship battle with Red Bull. Unfortunately, McLaren and Mercedes outpaced them in the development battle off-track. Now, the men in the iconic Scarlet Red are picking up leftover points after the Top 3 are done racing.

The promises they made to Lewis Hamilton for 2025 now seem unachievable. With the stakes rising, Frederic Vasseur has promised their die-hard fanbase with a turnaround. “To fix the bouncing is a step in performance,” the 56-year-old said after the Belgian GP. “For sure, we are pushing like hell to bring something and we will do it as soon as possible.” 

Vasseur also explained how the circuits for some races in the second half will favor the SF24. “We have also, I think, a good sequence of tracks for us with Monza, Baku, Singapore. I think these are good tracks for the characteristics of the car.”

Ferrari stands P3 in the constructors’ championship with 345 points, having lost P2 to the mighty McLaren after the Hungarian GP. If the mediocrity continues, even Mercedes, currently 79 points behind them, could overtake them for P3 by the end of 2024. Can Vasseur ensure his words transform into performance when F1 commences its second leg of 2024 in the Netherlands?