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Imago

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Imago

Lando Norris recently got himself on a list of unlucky drivers in Formula 1 when he became the driver with the most number of F1 podiums without a win. However, after 109 races and 15 podiums (including eight 2nd place finishes), the McLaren driver finally got caught a well-deserved break as he secured his first race win in the Miami Grand Prix. However, Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has warned of a strong comeback after missing out on a possible race win in Miami.

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Lando’s first win came on the back of a huge upgrade package introduced by the Woking-based team. However, the Brit was nowhere near a winning position up until lap 30 of the race. It was a lucky safety car period that handed the race lead to Lando Norris, who was able to comfortably hold off Max Verstappen and convert the advantage into a win.

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However, before the safety car, it was Charles Leclerc who was breathing down the neck of the Dutchman for the race lead. After an unlucky race, Frederic Vasseur reminded everyone that they were the ones bringing a major upgrade at the next race. There were recent reports that suggested that an “EVO version” of the SF-24 was already undergoing testing in the wind tunnel.

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With the planned upgrades coming to the car at Imola, confidence seems to be high in the Ferrari camp. The Scuderia is making a bold move to adopt a cooling strategy similar to Red Bull’s successful design from the previous season. By optimizing aerodynamics and fine-tuning its cooling approach, Ferrari is aiming for a big boost in pace.

According to reports, Ferrari will introduce new sidepods and a revised floor, building upon the strong improvements made in the winter break. Speaking after the conclusion of the Mimai GP, Fred Vaaseur expressed his confidence saying, “I am sure we will have a better race in Imola, we are bringing a pretty significant package that should put us closer to the top.”

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It’s not just Vasseur either, the drivers are also looking forward to the new upgrade package coming at Imola.

Despite Lando Norris’ win at Miami, Carlos Sainz is evidently confident of reducing the gap to the Red Bulls

Sainz, who’s been one of Red Bull’s closest rivals this season and the only driver besides Max Verstappen to clinch a win before Miami, believes that Ferrari could close the gap on Red Bull with the upgrades in Imola. He pointed out that while Red Bull might have had the upper hand in the early part of the season, Ferrari’s upgrades could neutralize their advantage.

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“I think they [Red  Bull] are definitely going to have an advantage in the first third of the season until we bring one or two upgrades that makes us fight them more consistently…” Sainz was quoted by Autosport. “In the meantime, we need more Australias, but I don’t see Red Bull, as a team, making these mistakes very often.”

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Do you think Ferrari will be able to win more races going ahead in the season? Or will McLaren be the one to take the challenge to Red Bull and Max Verstappen?

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Written by

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Veerendra Vikram Singh

919 Articles

Veerendra Singh is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. A follower of the sport for over 12 years, Veerendra excels in covering trend-setting articles and has covered Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff, and Charles Leclerc extensively during the 2023 F1 season. Veerendra's Dale Earnhardt Jr. post regarding the North Wilkesboro Speedway was shared by ‘Save The Speedway’ Twitter account. He covers each Grand Prix with precision and flair. He loves to write about Formula 1 because he thinks it's the purest form of racing there is.

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Edited by

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Shivali Nathta

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