The pilots say more than the times. At the end of the first day of activity on the track at Suzuka, Ferrari closed with the sixth and eleventh fastest time, a balance that does not seem to announce a great weekend.
The reality is different, and both Leclerc and Sainz did not complain of driveability problems, confirming good overall judges at the end of the FP2 session. “Overall it was a positive day in terms of performance – commented Leclerc – the first free practice session went well and I felt comfortable in the car, while the second was not very significant because my tires were very worn” .
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
In the FP2 session Leclerc spent a lot of time in the pits, requesting a change of setup which at the end of the session prevented him from covering more than ten laps. In addition, Ferrari did not use a second set of intermediates (choice made by Mercedes), penalizing the timing of the day.
The new fund made its debut on the two F1-75s, and even if the conditions were not the best to evaluate the benefits that the new development should guarantee, the drivers did not report anything abnormal.
Sainz’s day was more intense, as he did the work of comparing wet and intermediate tires to collect data should the race be held on a wet track. The Spaniard appeared at ease with the car, completing laps in race configuration which provided positive feedback. However, it is difficult to compare the times with direct opponents, due to different work schedules.
“It was a very wet Friday – commented Carlos – and this usually means not running that much. Today, however, the track conditions remained quite stable and so I was able to try both the Intermediate and the Wet tires. By doing so, we were able to take home more than one useful indication in the wet, so I would define today’s productive day ”.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
The dry weather forecast for tomorrow’s qualifying will force teams and riders to start from scratch in the FP3 session. “It will be a particularly important free practice session – confirmed Charles – we will have to adapt the car as quickly as possible to the dry conditions and be ready for qualifying”.
Like everyone in all the pits, even in the Ferrari one there will be a compromise set-up to avoid the risk of finding a car that is too stiff and unloaded in the event of a wet race.
Ferrari tested two rear wing solutions, using in FP2 the lighter configuration that should be mounted tomorrow in qualifying. A choice in line with Red Bull and opposite to that of Mercedes, which today has focused on greater aerodynamic load.
It’s a chess game still in progress, that of the setup, and the rain that fell on Suzuka today didn’t help much in terms of feedback. Tomorrow, if the weather forecasts are respected, we will see a lot of activity on the track in the sixty minutes of the FP3 session, and all the teams (Ferrari included) hope to have some more information from the weather forecast ahead of Sunday, the front that at the moment engineers fear more.
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