Compact group
On the first day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, the the track itself was the first absolute protagonistThe new asphalt and the new kerbs have brought a series of changes compared to the situation the riders were used to until last season, which have thus made it necessary for everyone to re-adapt.
The asphalt in particular is particularly smooth and it seemed extremely slippery at firstto then show a very rapid evolution which therefore suggests (also given the good weather forecast) that the track will continue to progress during the weekend and the race conditions from the point of view of tyre degradation will be definitely better of those seen on the track during this Friday, where the graining it has manifested itself in a disproportionate manner compared to what we’ve seen so far this season.
All in good shape, but watch out for McLaren’s potential
The best time of the day went to Lewis Hamiltonwith a good Mercedes, especially on the single lap. The impression is that the seven-time world champion also knew how to make the most of his experience in the delicate grip situation present on the track, with, for example, the most effective passage of all at the Parabolica, the curve that seemed to put the drivers in difficulty the most with the new asphalt. Digging a little deeper into the data, however, the McLaren seemed to have a lot of potential to expressalready on the single lap. From the telemetry of the best lap, for example, it is evident thatOscar Piastri’s mistake after the Ascari which cost him over 3 tenths, with a lap, therefore, which had the quiet potential of first placeand Norris himself also spoke of a less than perfect lap, with at least 3 or 4 tenths left on the road. It is interesting to look at the data in more detail because it is clear that the McLaren, despite being the slowest in acceleration, keeps up quite well on the main straight, while the gap widens in all subsequent extensions (Piastri and Norris are also 8 km/h slower than the fastest.) The impression is therefore that, as a power delivery strategy, the Woking team maximizes top speed in the longest section and then concentrates its efforts on traction when exiting the Roggia, the Lesmo and the Ascari. In the corners the MCL38 continues to be the best performing thanks, for now, also to a slight level of additional aerodynamic load. It will obviously be interesting to see how the team led by Andrea Stella will follow the evolution of the track and if, as seen for example in Holland, the overall level of load will drop for qualifying or if the engineers of the papaya team will decide to continue the weekend with this set-up.
Ferrari: the potential seems to be there, and the track should “go towards” the red one
Evaluating the innovations brought to the track by the Maranello team for the home race is very difficult on such an unusual track as Monza, but the aerodynamic bounce never really seemed to be a problem during this Friday, and this could be a first confirmation of an objective achieved, although the load level is so low as to distance its trigger. Both SF24s performed well, however, showing a set-up incredibly exhaust in superior aerodynamicsalso demonstrating a confidence in finding grip through the surface and a good tyre window. On this last specific parameter it should be underlined that the new asphalt (with the added high temperatures) should generate a high component of “adhesive grip”which is what Ferrari has often lacked in qualifying or in other situations this season, and could be a factor of considerable help for the red team.such an extremely unloaded setup it also seems to take into account the evolution of the track, which should therefore go so to speak towards Ferrari. The reds suffered on the stopwatch especially in the central sector, with the two Lesmo curves, long and requiring load, and the Improved track performance should significantly increase of Leclerc and Sainz’s cars in those sections. The passage to the Ascari variant was excellent, confirming a Ferrari ready and reactive on changes of directionand lacking only a hint of grip in the conditions of long side loadsas explained above. We also noticed, always from the data, that in the curve Charles Leclerc is back to not lifting his foot completely off the acceleratorin search of a more prompt and reactive exit. It was a behavior that we haven’t seen it in the Monaco data for a long timeespecially in free practice, and which shows an already notable commitment in driving but also a good confidence of the driver with the car.
In terms of race pace, everyone is on par, including Verstappen
If the reigning World Champion has not carried out a real qualifying simulation, the race pace simulation easily places him among the contenders for victory, but the situation that emerged from the long run but it is completely balanced. The (significant) growth trend of times due to the graining has clearly impacted the simulations, making them less reliable from a race perspective, but still taking the averages of the times, we find the best performance for Russell (which however carried out a completely different program from the others and is therefore difficult to compare) and then all the other drivers in practically 1 tenthwith a very slow introduction phase that in these track conditions was very effective at the end of the stint, but which will have to be re-evaluated in light of the race conditions. The rest of the weekend therefore looks set to be extremely interestingwith a qualifying that will probably be played between slipstreams and thousandths and a very open race probably between 8 cars, with the addition of the 100 meters of DRS added this year that will help in overtaking (difficult in the last editions) to make even more interesting a race weekend that opened by showing excellent prospects.
#Monza #Telemetry #Ferrari #grow #watch #McLarens #potential
