Leclerc’s fourth fastest time, 0″224 behind poleman Verstappen, slightly reduced the expectations of the Ferrari fans who flocked to Imola. The three-place penalty imposed on Oscar Piastri, who promoted the two Ferraris to the second row, is good news for the Scuderia but does not change the technical evaluations.
The time is premature to judge the technical merits of the package of technical innovations brought to the track by Ferrari, it would have been premature even if Leclerc and Sainz had taken the front row. Excitement, especially from those outside the team, leads one astray.
Ferrari SF-24: the new radiator vents
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
To judge the upgrade it will take several race weekends and different types of tracks, for now we can only evaluate its efficiency in Imola. The data that clearly emerges is that all the delay experienced by the two Ferraris towards Verstappen (and the McLarens) was accumulated in the first sector, a section in which the performances of Leclerc and Sainz were also lower than Tsunoda and Russell.
“I think the gap accumulated in that stretch is a bit linked to our characteristics,” commented Frederic Vasseur without going into details. It’s a question of tire warm-up but also of hybrid management. The two Ferraris then recovered something in the next two sections of the track, but not enough to be able to aspire to the front row.
“We can’t be fully satisfied – commented Leclerc after qualifying – but one positive aspect is that the update is doing exactly what we expected. On a track like this it is not possible to evaluate all the advantages of the new package, more time will be needed.”
Leclerc, leader in yesterday’s two sessions, explained how we always need to keep our feet on the ground. “On Fridays you never know the fuel levels – he explained – now we no longer have doubts and we are further away than we thought”.
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Leclerc completed a good lap (“I don’t think there was much more”) with Sainz almost three tenths behind. Carlos was also lucky, given that no opponent was within such a wide margin, managing to precede Russell by a thousandth.
Tomorrow a good part of the chances will be taken from the start. “We’ll start with a good trail up to Turn 2, we’ll see what we can do,” commented Vasseur, and that’s what both Leclerc and Sainz are hoping for. “Our pace in the long runs was good – explained Charles – but on a track like this, position is practically everything, considering that even using the DRS it is still difficult to overtake. It won’t be an easy race.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
In addition to the start, Ferrari’s chances could come from strategy. Not so much due to the choice of tires (the race will be one stop with medium-hard) but due to the variable safety car.
“If we look at the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races that took place today, there were more laps behind the Safety Car than in the actual race – underlined Vasseur – it is an aspect that we must take into account”.
With two drivers in leading positions, Ferrari could differentiate the length of the first stint, putting itself in a position to always have one of the two drivers in a position to exploit the entry of the service car onto the track. “I want to be optimistic – concluded Vasseur – I believe we can be fighting for victory”.
Regardless of a drag start by Leclerc or Sainz, something more than a good race will be needed to aim for the maximum objective. For the top-3 it’s a different story, one or two red overalls on the podium are a possible and probable scenario.
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