Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

The 2024 season has been off to a blistering start, thanks to a Carlos Sainz win in Australia. Returning from an appendectomy, the Spanish driver put in a great drive to secure the top spot on the podium, in the same race where the dominant Max Verstappen retired due to brake issues. Sergio Perez was the only Red Bull driver out on the track, and he failed to register a podium finish amid a Ferrari 1-2. Referring to the same as Red Bull’s Achilles’ Heel, former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux claimed Ferrari might have a shot at the constructors’ championship in 2024.

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Arnoux, as reported by F1 Maximaal, took a dig at Verstappen’s teammate Perez’s level. He said,

“I hope they can fight for the constructors’ title, also because Perez does not operate at a very high level. In fact, I think that if Ferrari doesn’t have any major problems this season, they almost have a better chance than Red Bull.” 

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Perez had a strong start to the season, finishing in 2nd in the first two races. However, when all hopes of Red Bull lay on him, the Mexican driver could not break into the top three. He finished P5, a long way behind race winner Sainz. Hence, Arnoux sees it as a huge problem for the Milton Keynes-based team.

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On the other hand, Ferrari has been improving consistently, closing the gap to Red Bull by a small margin every race. While Arnoux doubts Ferrari has reached Red Bull’s level, he is confident that they are closing in on the reigning two time champions. Overall, though, the Ferrari drivers seem confident of making a move given the chance, especially because of Perez’s shaky weekend in Melbourne.

Ferrari ready to take the fight to Red Bull

Sainz won the Australian GP with an incredible drive, much to the delight of the Tifosi. However, his win could have been helped by the fact that Verstappen had to retire due to reliability issues. Despite the same, Fred Vasseur wants his side to carry their form and pile the pressure on Red Bull. Should they be able to do so, Vasseur believes Red Bull will continue to make mistakes and lose out on vital points.

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There have also been reports of engineers back at their Maranello factory currently working on an upgrade for the SF-24. Should everything work out the way Ferrari wants, their first major upgrade package will arrive at the Emilia Romagna GP. Even Carlos Sainz is hopeful of closing in on the gap to Red Bull, if their upgrades come in perfectly.

As things currently stand, Red Bull holds a slight advantage over Ferrari in the rankings. With two wins and four podiums, the Austrian team has 97 points and is in P1 in the constructors’ championship. Meanwhile, with one win and four podiums, Ferrari is just three points behind Red Bull in the rankings.