F1 | Data: McLaren the most balanced, Ferrari an open construction site

On a day when other series were affected by rain, the English weather gave Formula 1 a break. Both the first and second free practice sessions were effectively dry, apart from a few drops of rain that fell here and there, especially towards the end of FP2.

The team that started off on the right foot was definitely McLaren, who finished the first day in the lead with both cars and, in particular, with a Lando Norris in great form. The hope of the Woking team is naturally to confirm what was seen on Friday also in the following days, perhaps being able to play with two strikers against a Red Bull that, although behind, is less distant than the final standings suggest.

The first and second times represent a first and concrete sign of an attack on Red Bull and Max Verstappen who, at least on Friday, have to settle for the role of pursuers, with problems already observed in other events during the season.

Seventh place in the standings at the end of the second free practice session certainly does not reflect the full potential of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, as also demonstrated by the third time obtained by Sergio Perez with the other RB20, albeit a good 4 tenths from the top. However, at the moment it seems quite clear that McLaren has started off on the right foot, putting together various little pieces on a track that, on paper, should be favorable to the characteristics of the MCL38.

In the past, the cars of the two top teams had a lot in common, starting with their qualities in the fast corners. It is no coincidence that last season at Silverstone McLaren had also performed well, leading the race in the early stages: twelve months later those signs seem to have been confirmed, with both MCL38s ahead at least on Friday. Since then, in fact, the Woking team has pushed the accelerator in terms of development, designing a car that in the last races has always been in the fight to win.

To achieve this, it also had to address the weak points of the MCL38 project, including the shortcomings in slower corners, where the front, particularly in very long corners, struggled to provide grip, leading to understeer. With the latest innovations, McLaren has taken a clear step forward in that area too, as has already emerged in previous stages, so it should come as no surprise that this theme is repeated here.

As also well underlined by Helmut Marko at the end of the second session, the MCL38 seems to have something more especially in the slow corners of the first sector, namely 3 and 4, where the Red Bull instead seems to be spinning excessively. If with Perez the gap is extremely evident, reaching about 20 km/h compared to Norris’s best lap at the third corner, with Verstappen the gap is significantly reduced, reaching around 5 km/h. The comparison with the Dutchman is clearly related to the lap then aborted with the new soft which, even if it was not completed, provides indications and useful references regarding the first split time by exploiting the evolution of the track.

FP2 Silverstone 2024 Telemetry Comparison: Verstappen (aborted lap) – Norris

Photo by: Gianluca D’Alessandro

In any case, however, it is clear that a good part of the gap comes from this type of curve, so much so that the theme is repeated not only at the exit of the chicane, but also at turn seven and, going into specifics, at the exit and extension. It is fair to mention, however, that McLaren seems to have given more space to the use of the Power Unit, also aiming for a more unloaded wing/beam wing configuration: it is no mystery that Red Bull prefers to be more conservative on the engine on Friday, leaving the much more aggressive mappings only for Saturday. The configuration chosen by the Papaya team however seems to reward the extension qualities of the MCL38, without penalizing the load too much, with the floor working well in the corners.

The positive aspect for the Milton Keynes team is represented, instead, by the performance in the fast corners, where even with Perez good indications were found, beyond the mistakes made by Verstappen during his attempt at a fast lap. Even on the race pace there seems to be something to work on at Red Bull, with Norris currently favored. On the other hand, however, it is also true that the Anglo-Austrian team ran with more conservative mappings, leaving something aside in view of the rest of the weekend.

Those who seem furthest away are Ferrari and Mercedes. The first day of free practice ended with a Red that gave ample space and importance to internal comparisons to understand what didn’t work with the latest package of technical innovations that debuted in Barcelona. The updates seem to have given aerodynamic load on an overall level but, on the other hand, they have also accentuated other problems, including the return of bouncing.

For this reason, the Reds took advantage of the first day of free practice at Silverstone, a circuit that makes high-speed areas one of its characteristic aspects, to carry out comparative tests between the old and new packages. Leclerc had the most recent one for the entire day, while Sainz’s car was fitted with the one from Imola. During the free practice, differences were noted not only in terms of performance, much more marked in FP1 than in FP2, but also in the behavior of the car: with Leclerc, a more nervous set-up was seen, in particular in the fast corners where bouncing problems emerge, pushing the Monegasque to have to work to manage the rear.

FP2 Silverstone 2024 Telemetry Comparison: Leclerc – Norris

Photo by: Gianluca D’Alessandro

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However, looking at the telemetry data of the two Ferrari drivers, common points emerge, starting from the gap in the fast zones, as was easily predictable. For example, during the day Ferrari worked a lot on the passage of turn six, where in fact there are differences compared to McLaren, and the entry of turn seven, a slow section where, on the telemetry references in terms of speed, the chosen trajectory counts a lot.

In fact, however, there is a problem: although the feedback in the area of ​​the fast sequence between Maggots and Chapel is not so negative, also because a good part of that stretch is driven flat out, it is only on Friday. If the qualifying sessions were dry, it would be interesting to understand on the one hand how much margin McLaren has, especially for the traversal of turns 13-14, but on the other also how much Leclerc is already at the limit, with a car that on Friday seemed quite nervous due to the bouncing.

It seems to be going a little better, however, in the slow sections, although even in those sections the Woking team proved to be the most balanced mix on Friday. The one that seems to put the SF-24 in trouble the most is turn 4, whose characteristics push for a prolonged steering phase to then have to return to the traction phase at the ideal moment, characteristics that the Maranello single-seater does not always digest in the best way.

It is a topic that, however, will have to be addressed and understood well on Saturday, especially regarding the fast corners. As in the case of Red Bull, it is a matter of finding a compromise without excessively penalizing either of the two characteristics. The night will have to bring advice to the engineers of the Reds especially regarding the choice of the package, the real suspect of this British Friday at Ferrari.