Ferrari couldn’t optimize his qualifying performance yesterday. Again, we are talking about the problem with the tires, which the red car cannot always control. We can argue with cross and flavor, but using a banal expression that gives an idea of ​​​​what happened in the event. Sprint Race. Let’s go in order. First of all, various stalls F1 decided to start the fourth 100 km mini race of the season with formations Medium. The Pirelli the yellow bands were the most logical choice as they struck the right balance between performance and consumption. horse to start Leclerc he does not start badly, but his partner does better than him, and above all, Lando Norris in fact, it only manages to finish second in a few laps.
The Briton was quite enthusiastic as he wanted to go right back Max Verstappenhis main goal is to try to win the world title reserved for drivers. Behind him, Mercedes Of George Russell he was able to keep up with the number of 16 in the first rounds Leclerc. Ma Sainz he was wild, definitely more on the ball than the Monegasque. For this reason, after several attempts to attack, he leaves it behind Charles In the 5th cycle. Immediately after that, he starts stalking Russell and after studying the trajectories of the Englishman, in a clever and unexpected move, puts him in the third sector of the track. Chapeau.
Also Leclerc manages to pass George He tries not to lose contact with Iber in the next round Ferrari. Meanwhile, Norris it begins to suffer from degradation on the front left. This factor limits its activity MCL38 and the two Italian cars took advantage of the situation to close the gap. The race remains in the balance until the penultimate lap Sainz finally manages to get close Landomaking it difficult in the car’s rear view mirrors McLaren. This brings us to the final step of anti-braking CarlosCar number 4 is ahead. Madrileño thanks him, throws himself in and takes second place.
At this point too Charles strives for combative actions against Lando It flows into the third sector of the Texan track. However Norris he understands the Ferrari driver’s intentions well and after turn 14 turns left and slams the door in the face of the number 16 car. The two barely communicate. This is how it ends Sprint Racewith an excellent comeback second place Sainz and the imperfect race Leclercclearly beaten by the driver who will compete for the following year Williams. From a technical point of view, it is not difficult to explain its excellent performance rossa in this first taste of real competition. There SF-24 he had really good pace.
Also, going with that “cross and swag” from the beginning of the article, we can say that most of the credit for the performance goes to the scope management. Sainz won the battle with Norris thanks to the degradation and additional cycle on the front axle of the single-seater Leclerc would pass English. The US circuit is one of those that fall into the so-called “category”.front limited”, a track that tends to destroy the front wheels due to the type of turns it has. at Ferrari still lacked some stability T1 in the “snake”, but on the rest of the track the car from Modena was the fastest. Good news about tomorrow’s race…
In F1, Ferrari gives everything, but wheel activation remains a limit
On the edge of analysis on the fourth mini-race of the competitive campaign 2024it is appropriate to say a few words about the qualification valid for Sunday’s race. Ferrari comes to the qualifying session with the goal of better handling the tires Soft which, in SQ3 from Sprint ShootingModena limited the performance of their cars. First of all, since then, unlike yesterday Q1 is used Pirelli red ribbon. This means that during the session each team can create its own know-how on roofs considering various environmental factors. The horseRampant It starts quite well, showing a fairly balanced car.
go away Q2 it’s actually a formality, a competitive scenario where some of the limitations of Italian cars start to emerge. In general, we can first of all note that two in the third sector of the track compared to Saturday Ferrari they worked harder. It is not easy to understand whether some adjustments are made due to race or simply a good adjustment trying to further optimize the car’s performance on the flying circuit. The fact is that space in the year T1 the best remains and unfortunately T3 this is no longer a plus. Leclerc he spoke on the radio about slight instability in the rear axle as he felt it was too light at times.
However, it is incorrect to point to decentralized regulation as the cause of imperfect performance. Again, the difference comes mainly from the use of compounds Soft. Red Taurus e McLarencon Verstappen e Norristhey were able to complete a better hysteresis loop and therefore a catch taller. A sticking additionwho died today Ferrari and noticed. In addition, we must emphasize one more element. In a last ditch effort Q3, Russell At the 19th turn, he lost his car and hit the barriers. The episode that ended everyone’s last ditch effort. It’s two o’clock Red unlike its competitors, it was developing more at that time. Species Sainzwas not far from his performance Verstappen.
Most likely single seaters Maranello both would stay in the second row, but if nothing else, the gap would certainly be smaller. The result does not excite fans. We agree. However, one should not get carried away by thinking about race and competition PERFORMANCE there are some SF-24 in racing trim. They demonstrated it Sprint Race in fact, being able to play with the top of the class is not at all utopian. And as we know, the track helps in this sense, because there is certainly no shortage of opportunities to overtake competitors. We’ll wait until tomorrow to report back weekendit’s complicated, but it can still provide some surprises.