A Strong Start to the Season!

Summer is upon us, and our partner Scuderia Ferrari HP is bringing the heat in the 2024 Formula 1 standings! With eight rounds completed, the team has racked up an impressive 252 points, nine podiums and two wins – and is just 24 points shy of the No. 1 position in the Constructor Standings!

Let’s take a look back at some of the team’s highlights so far this year...

From Bahrain to Monaco

Official Driver Carlos Sainz started the season with a podium in Bahrain in the new SF-24, the 70th car the company has built for Formula 1 racing. “It’s a solid start to the season and very good points for the team. I felt really good in the car all race long,” noted Sainz.

Sainz would never guess what would happen next: an emergency surgery for appendicitis during the Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain. Eighteen-year-old Reserve Driver Oliver Bearman stepped in to take Sainz’ place. Official Driver Charles Leclerc finished with a podium at this Saudi Arabian GP while Bearman had a dream debut and a brilliant drive to seventh place.

The team headed Down Under next where Sainz made an incredible comeback to win the Australian GP with Leclerc right behind him in second place. The masterful 1-2 finish delivered the maximum 44 points for the team. “What a rollercoaster! I’m extremely happy!” said Sainz. “I felt good in the car right from lap 1…and I started setting a strong pace that took me all the way to the finish line, bringing home the first win of the season.”

Sainz was back on the podium again two weeks later at the Japanese GP, the team’s fifth podium finish in four races. Next up was the Chinese GP and a return to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time since 2019. While not a podium finish, the team walked away with 31 points including those from the Sprint Race.

Miami marked a major milestone for the team as it announced a new title partnership with HP and unveiled a special blue livery celebrating colors from the past. Once again, Scuderia Ferrari HP was back on the podium with Leclerc taking third place and the iconic team bringing home the second highest number of points from the weekend.

Following Miami, the team headed across the pond to home soil and the Imola GP, where Leclerc took another podium. “We dedicate this result and our performance to the tifosi who are the best fans in the world,” said Leclerc after the race. Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur echoes the impact of Scuderia support: “It’s often said that your fans can give you an extra gear and…we are proud to know we can count on our ‘tifosi’ from around the world.”

And that leads us to Monaco, the most recent race of the season and a spectacular weekend for the team. Born in the principality of Monte Carlo in 1997, Leclerc brought home the win in front of his home crowd with Sainz taking the podium right next to him. “Winning here means so much to me, because it's the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver when I was little," Leclerc said.

This latest win marks No. 245 for the team and narrows the gap between Scuderia Ferrari HP and Red Bull. Leclerc has also closed the gap with Drivers' leader Max Verstappen to just 31 points.

Keep Calm and Carry On

“Honestly we have 16 races to go, the most important is to think about the next one, not to think about the championships," said Vasseur. “We have a long way to go and we have to stay calm."

The Formula 1 race schedule resumes with the Canadian GP at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal on Sunday, June 9, and continues throughout the summer and second half of the year – ending in Abu Dhabi in December. Check out the full calendar here and stay tuned on our blog and HARMAN Automotive LinkedIn and YouTube channel for the latest news and exclusive content!

Karen Piurkowski

Senior Director, Global Content & Digital Marketing at HARMAN International

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