Like seven days ago in Singapore. On the one hand, a decision by the Board of Sports Commissioners that was not frowned upon in the Ferrari garage, on the other hand a car that eats more tires than Red Bulls.
The difference is that in Suzuka in front of the Perez-Leclerc tandem was Max Verstappen, who raised the bar to an impossible extent for the rest of the group. Leclerc took home the maximum, and today the maximum possible was third place behind the two Red Bulls.
After going from full-wet to intermediate (lap 7), Leclerc pushed to put nine seconds between himself and Perez on lap 11. After just four laps, the ‘green’ tires of Ferrari number 16 began to lose grip, and lap after lap Charles saw Verstappen go further and further and the silhouette of Perez’s Red Bull approaching in the mirrors.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, third place, at the Parc Ferme with his team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
As in the most exciting scripts, Checo went all out in the last lap, and Leclerc in an extreme defense attempt went long in the last corner of the race, skipping the chicane. The maneuver then cost a five-second penalty imposed by the Stewards of the Meeting.
It is no coincidence, however, that after the race Leclerc said he was more worried about tire degradation than about the five-second penalty that cost him second position. The real reason Charles saw the place of honor get out of hand was the performance of his car, a clear figure that emerges from the margin he had available on Perez.
Leclerc’s front tires were slick, while the Red Bull ones were still intact
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
However, Mattia Binotto also indicated Leclerc’s race conduct, very aggressive in the first laps, as a potential cause that accelerated the degradation of the intermediate set:
“We saw the deterioration of the tires already on Friday – said the team principal of the Scuderia – I think that by pushing too hard on the first lap, we simply destroyed the front tires in a way that it was not possible to recover. So we have to review everything together with Charles and the engineers, maybe he attacked a bit too much to try to close the gap ”.
If, however, the comparison is with Verstappen, only in one lap did Leclerc push more, and it was the tenth, when Charles was half a second faster than Red Bull number 1. In the previous round the pace of Ferrari had been higher. of a second and a half, as well as in the exit lap.
The analysis of the race will be done in the next few days in Maranello, but it is undeniable that, like in Monza and Singapore, Leclerc had to deal with a greater tire degradation than Red Bull. In Suzuka conditions, and with intermediate tires, everything was more evident, going from tenths to seconds.
On the fastest lap, the performance of the F1-75 was very good, the confirmation came in qualifying and also in the race when Leclerc was in a position to push. From this point of view, the new fund has given the desired results, but the potential of the car is mortified in the long run, when tire management becomes a priority aspect to be reckoned with.
Carlos Sainz’s accident at the Japanese Grand Prix
Ferrari at Suzuka also lacked the reference that Carlos Sainz would have given, who was eagerly awaited in the wet.
“I found myself in a big puddle, I did aquaplaning and there was nothing I could do to keep control of the car – explained Carlos – after the accident my main concern was being hit by another car. Let’s reset everything and think about the United States ”.
Leclerc saved the spoils of the Japanese trip, but at the same time gave Perez the second position in the drivers’ standings to Perez, who is now one point ahead of him.
The final place of honor is not a primary objective, but it still represents a significant milestone that would reward the season of Leclerc, Verstappen’s first opponent as long as an equal technical comparison was possible. It is worth aiming at it, to leave the real photograph of what the 2022 World Cup was in the roll of honor.
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