The twenty-second and final qualification of the 2023 season was the most surprising. Before the start of Q1, expectations were at an all-time low, both at Red Bull and Ferrari, to the point of indicating Lando Norris and George Russell as the two real favorites to win pole position.
In the FP3 session both Leclerc (fifth) and Verstappen (sixth) had complained of difficulty in getting the time out. Three hours later the scenario was completely different. On the Yas Marina circuit the sun went down, the track temperature dropped by more than ten degrees and above all the wind that had bothered the drivers a lot during the last free practice session eased. But above all the (pessimistic) forecasts had not taken the pilot variable into due consideration.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Pole sitter Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Verstappen made it clear that things would go in the right direction already in Q1, making the Red Bull pit wall breathe a big sigh of relief. A few more laps were needed for Leclerc, as he finished Q1 in tenth position with a time of 1’24”459. Charles took the measure in Q2 (1’23”969), a session which ended in third place, and in Q3 came the definitive breakthrough which brought him to the front row. Leclerc lowered his previous time by another half second, reaching 1’23”584. What made the difference was the ability to adapt that both Max and Charles have in the first line of their respective CVs, which translated into pure performance on the fastest lap and tactical intelligence in preparing the tires on the launch lap.
After crossing the finish line, Leclerc completed his return lap by looking at the screens arranged along the track to be sure of the front row. When George Russell also crossed the finish line, he realized he was safe and raised his fist, commenting via radio with his engineer Xavi Marcos: “This was tough, I could have done the last corner a little better but not we have nothing to complain about, we managed to maximize everything. I think it was a great ride, I gave everything!”.
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
“Charles did a great job – confirmed Frederic Vasseur – and to think that at a certain point in Q2 I thought he too was at risk. We worked very well, in the end I think we managed to understand the approach and Charles left the rest.”
It is no coincidence that when it comes to the fastest lap, the season ended with Verstappen and Leclerc on the front row. There are twelve poles won by Max, five by Charles, two magicians in knowing how to put everything together in the crucial moment, when you really have to squeeze out everything that the single-seater can give.
In 2023 Red Bull showed the best of itself in race pace, on the fastest lap it was very often a good car but without the plus in performance that it always confirmed on Sunday. Leclerc was able to take advantage of it, but Verstappen also put a lot of himself into it as confirmed by the abysmal gaps inflicted on his teammate.
“Five years ago, when a driver made a mistake he lost two or three positions – underlined Vasseur – today you make a mistake and you find yourself nineteenth, or in any case out of Q3. Today we also saw it with Lewis.”
Knowing how to shave two tenths in 2023 made the difference, and today at Yas Marina it seemed that the two ‘tops’ of Ferrari and Red Bull had put their respective cars in a position that had not been taken into account by their respective engineers before qualifying . Tomorrow will probably be a different story, but it is still nice to see how the pilot variable can sometimes take over the cold calculations of the digital world.
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