New Ferrari SF-24 must be a "consistent front runner" says team boss Frederic Vasseur

Ferrari's new F1 contender must be on the pace at the front of the grid immediately.

That is the message from team principal Frederic Vasseur after the SF-24 broke cover at the launch reveal in Maranello. In three of the final five races last year, Charles Leclerc took pole - but only his teammate Carlos Sainz took one win away from the dominant Red Bull all season.

Now, Vasseur has called for the prancing horses to be "a consistent front runner", adding that he wanted to get the "best possible result" at every race.

He said: "The longest ever Formula 1 season awaits us and Charles, Carlos and I all agree we must be more clinical and effective in how we manage the races, making bold choices."

Leclerc, who recently signed a new long-term contract with Ferrari, said: "I expect the car to be a step forward in several areas. From the impression I have formed in the simulator, I think we're where we want to be.

"The SF-24 ought to be less sensitive and easier to drive and that's what you need in order to do well. This season the aim is to be front-runners all the time and I want to give our fans plenty to cheer about, by dedicating race wins to them."

Meanwhile Sainz will be replaced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the end of the season. He said: "I'm looking forward to driving the car to see if it correlates with the feeling I had from the simulator, which is that it's the step forward we all want.

"The aim is to have a car that's more driveable and therefore able to run at a consistent race pace, as these are the basic requirements to fight for wins. We drivers have done our very best to give the engineers precise feedback and I'm sure the workforce in Maranello will have listened to our needs."

Analysis: A beautiful car, but can it deliver?

Amid the slurry of shocking liveries this season - with teams abandoning the paint and just leaving the cars as carbon fibre shells - you can always count on Ferrari to deliver a beautiful car.

Leclerc secured four poles last season, but while the SF-23's one-lap pace was stellar for qualifying, it fell away during the race itself. Last year's Ferrari could bring its tyres up to temperature incredibly quickly, but ended up overheating them without careful management from the drivers.

If the team at Maranello has managed to get this issue under control - even if it means sacrificing some of that blistering qualifying pace - that will put their best foot forward.

But while the drivers seemed optimistic, talking up the possibility of wins this season, Vasseur seemed more reserved. The Frenchman has historically been coy about his team's true performance, but it would still appear that he's trying to manage the Tifosi's expectations.

It's worth remembering that power unit development has also been frozen for 2024, so the Ferrari is likely to still be slower on raw horsepower than the Red Bull.