by SIMONE PELUSO (BARCELONA)
After Suzuka, that’s it Barcelona. Another highly anticipated test bed for teams and single-seaters, in search of certain answers on the values on the field after a month of ups and downs. There has been a lot of talk about updates on the eve of all the top teams – including Mercedes – but the expected changes will not have the same scope as the first step taken respectively in Suzuka, Miami and Imola for Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.
Ferrari: engine saved, little news
The activity in the box Ferrari it started very early, with a long series of checks on Charles Leclerc’s power unit. The engine of the Red #16 woke up the paddock in the very early afternoon and the responses received seem to confirm that the problem that had held back the Monegasque in Canada has actually been resolved.
Leclerc himself then confirmed to us, without going into detail, that “the problem was identified, understood and resolved”expecting to return to the level of previous races here in Montmelò.
Charles, however, does not expect great chances of victory for Ferrari given that, according to him, we will see the Red Bull from the beginning of the season again (that of the two doubles with a wide margin of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia). An opinion completely in contrast to that of Sainz, firmly convinced of the possibilities of success at home. Are Carlos’ statements just pro-fans, or can the Cavallino really return to challenge Red Bull after the success in Monaco? The first free practices on Friday will give a first idea of who, between the two, might have been right.
McLaren more confident
It will attract a lot of attention to itself McLarenon a track that – on paper – should be favorable to the characteristics of the MCL38. More than on other occasions, the men from Woking appeared more confident in the potential of their car, starting from Lando Norris: “So far we have been competitive at all circuits, so I don’t expect things to change too much. We have never been the team to beat, the one that easily dominated a weekend like what happened to Red Bull or Ferrari, but we have always been constantwhich is exactly what we want and is a good step forward compared to last year, when we were very up and down“.
Norris and Piastri will therefore be the real ones thorns in Verstappen’s side in Catalonia? It’s possible, even in case of rain: in the wet Norris proved to be the fastest, counting both the pole position in the Shanghai Sprint and the race pace in Montreal.
Threatening weather: rain expected for Sunday
Unusual weather for the month of June accompanied the first day of work in Barcelona. Low temperatures and rain they obviously didn’t hinder the interview sessions, but they could have a different effect on Sunday.
According to the forecasts, in fact, they are expected showers in the morning before the race and temperatures not exceeding 24°C, but it is not excluded that these could continue even further and along the lines of what happened on Thursday. Today, in fact, we witnessed fairly intense downpours alternating rapidly with moments of clearing and rays of sunshine, which dried the asphalt in a short time. A condition that continued until late in the evening and which is not so far from that of two weeks ago in Canada.
There are those who already do the rain dance like Alonso, who did not hide in the press conference – “we would prefer the track to be wet on Sunday because we are not totally sure of our performance in the dry” – and those who, like Ferrari, might fear a second Montreal. Or, who knows, having a variable that can mix the cards as much as possible could be good for everyone.
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