For Ferrari, an essential weekend begins: the Components 1 Canadian Grand Prix. The Maranello staff, after two consecutive podiums in Monaco and the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, each achieved by Charles Leclerc, known as upon to silence with outcomes the current rumors suggesting that staff principal Frederic Vasseur could possibly be out on the finish of the 2025 Components 1 season. Each drivers have defended the French supervisor’s work and need to shut ranks by making an attempt to present their most.
The SF-25 single-seater has carried out decently in current outings, a minimum of when it comes to race tempo, however the efficiency continues to be removed from the expectations initially of the season. For that reason, Frederic Vasseur’s identify has been extensively mentioned, as has that of the Monegasque driver, who needed to disclaim any rumors of a attainable departure, as soon as once more professing his everlasting love for the Prancing Horse.
Let’s now take an in depth take a look at how occasions unfolded for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton within the first free follow session on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal:
The Ferrari drivers are of their automobiles and, after the same old pre-session checks, go away the pit lane to start their first run on the Canadian circuit. Each SF-25 automobiles are fitted with purple compound Pirelli tires for this preliminary section. The gearbox is about to the GX3 mapping, designed to permit quick however not overly aggressive gear adjustments. Lewis Hamilton instantly goes on the assault towards the stopwatch, whereas Charles Leclerc opts for a preparation lap to deliver the C6 tires as much as temperature.
The primary laps are cautious, with the drivers assessing the monitor situations, made even trickier by the visitors on the circuit. Ferrari shows its standard traits: slight understeer on nook entry and a lackluster response within the slower course adjustments. Whereas Lewis Hamilton appears to battle to maintain the tires within the optimum window, his Maranello teammate seems more practical in temperature administration, particularly on the tire floor.
Within the first two sectors, Charles Leclerc nonetheless can’t discover best grip, however within the third sector, he’s already among the many quickest. It stays to be seen whether or not that is because of the chosen setup or just a delay in tire activation. His sector occasions steadily enhance within the following laps between the primary and second sectors, indicating that it was extra a matter of confidence and adapting to the monitor, mixed with a extra progressive use of the compounds.
Nonetheless, the whole lot involves a halt attributable to an incident involving Charles Leclerc, who locks up his entrance proper in Flip 3. The Monegasque goes onto the grass, can’t steer the automotive, and hits the within wall with the entrance left, additionally damaging the rear left, thus destroying a lot of the left aspect of his SF-25. Pink flag, and session over for the 27-year-old driver.
Charles Leclerc makes a easy mistake, a lapse in focus that penalizes him closely simply as he was gaining extra confidence with the automotive. An actual disgrace, contemplating the progress proven. About ten minutes later, the session resumes, and Lewis Hamilton instantly returns to the monitor with one other set of Delicate tires. After not even a full lap, the Briton additionally loses management of his automotive: beneath braking at Flip 10, the rear finish steps out and he spins, thankfully with out harm.
He returns to the pits to mount a brand new set of tires. General, Ferrari’s traction appears stable, however it’s clear that dealing with nonetheless wants fine-tuning. The dearth of rotation continues to be a weak spot, the identical one which led Charles Leclerc to the error and the crash into the obstacles. In comparison with his Maranello teammate, the Briton nonetheless wants to seek out the precise feeling with the automotive, however a minimum of he didn’t crash.
Upon his return to the monitor, Lewis Hamilton exhibits no clear enchancment in lap occasions. He additionally studies a difficulty with the delta on the steering wheel and receives directions from the pit wall to vary his method to Turns 3 and 10: enter extra slowly to achieve higher exit acceleration. Within the last section of the session, the staff focuses on a race tempo simulation with a excessive gas load, important for analyzing tire conduct beneath extra practical situations.
The simulation consists of 11 consecutive laps, throughout which the SF-25 seems typically steady however nonetheless barely unsure on nook entry. The lap occasions stay pretty constant, with a quick opening lap in 1.16.9, adopted by laps within the low 1.17s. In abstract, the potential is there, however extra work is required on the stability entrance. The aim is to discover a setup that enables the automotive to maximise efficiency by higher managing each understeer and oversteer, making the automotive extra responsive and aggressive.
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