Ferrari had two Leclercs within the crimson automobiles throughout the primary free observe session for the 2024 Formulation 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sadly, for the older brother, the free observe begins very late. An issue with the facility unit of automobile quantity 16 stops Charles for nearly half of the session. A headache with the vitality retailer, this appears to be the difficulty confronted by automobile quantity 16. Because of this all of the preliminary impressions of the SF-24 in Yas Marina model are linked to Arthur, who had by no means participated in a session throughout a Grand Prix earlier than.
Happily, about half an hour earlier than the top of FP1, the primary Monegasque driver of the Maranello staff hits the observe. He does so with a set of Pirelli tires with yellow bands. The gearbox is ready to Gx3. Charles Leclerc brings the tires as much as temperature utilizing the warm-up mode, then pushes. The lap is nothing greater than a style of the situations, the place the crimson automobile performs properly, displaying a clear angle. The one flaw is within the final nook, the place Charles is compelled to regulate the rear of the SF-24. His Ferrari race engineer Bryan Bozzi offers the references for this tire, as everybody right here is utilizing the Mushy.
In the meantime, Arthur returns to the pits. It’s arduous to present a judgment on him. In his case, it’s about studying in the beginning to drive a Formulation 1 automobile, in a state of affairs the place, not like checks, there are different automobiles as properly. The youthful Monegasque driver was nonetheless very clear, cautious to not make errors, following all of the procedures given by his race engineer Riccardo Adami. After a single lap to chill the tires, Charles will get again to severe work. On this case, the engine revs improve, switching to Engine 4, the usual mapping the Italian staff makes use of over a 300 kilometers distance.
Because of this, his efficiency improves, though by way of lap time it’s nonetheless not nice. However at this second, the Prancing Horse is attempting to confirm the baseline setup. One other cool-down after which full throttle once more, elevating the engine revs additional by switching to Engine 3. A specific selection, because the extra aggressive mapping is often chosen instantly. The Ferrari driver wanted to enhance in corners 1, 6, and seven, and certainly he does. The fundamental steadiness of the automobile nonetheless appears excellent.
Now the query is what to do, as time is working out. Leclerc might select to do one other lap with the Mediums after which have two full-throttle laps with the Softs, or swap instantly to the sooner tires and have three laps accessible. Charles opts for the primary possibility, in an try to assemble extra information with the tires that supply extra constant efficiency. After finishing this additional lap, he heads to the pits for a tire change.
Through the in-lap, he performs a few constant-speed laps, permitting the staff to review the automobile’s aerodynamics. The Ferrari quantity 16 stops on the spot in entrance of the storage. The mechanics substitute the tires, and he rapidly returns to the observe with Engine 5. With the Mediums, the suggestions within the sluggish sections was good. Nonetheless, the load switch within the medium-speed part at nook 5, when the driving force accelerates, didn’t appear optimum. Moreover, in comparison with the McLaren, the SF-24 has to cowl extra distance at sure factors on the observe and not far away because it delays the entry.
We additionally noticed a slight bouncing within the cornering phases. The lap building with the yellow-banded tires was geared toward maximizing the sluggish and medium-speed corners, neglecting the sooner ones barely. From this issue, we will deduce that the automobile’s setup is mostly much less stiff in comparison with direct rivals, as we had anticipated in our regular preview. With the Softs, each Leclercs attempt to give their finest. Arthur lags nearly two seconds behind his brother, however as talked about, in his case, the lap instances didn’t matter a lot.
With the red-banded Pirelli tires, the primary Ferrari driver instantly tops the time sheets, though he encounters some visitors, which doesn’t assist. Nonetheless, the surplus rotation is minimized because of the additional grip supplied by the tires. There are nonetheless some small points at nook 5, the place to succeed in the apex, there’s a slight oversteer when the automobile’s lateral load is at its most. In nook 9, the primary after the lengthy high-speed part, it’s noticeable that McLaren manages the racing line higher by smoothing the nook, whereas Charles covers extra meters.
There’s additionally some oversteer in sector 3, however nothing extreme. It stays to be seen how the tires are used, because the hysteresis cycle must be accomplished optimally to carry out properly within the third sector and keep away from overheating. Regardless of the session being disrupted by the difficulty, Leclerc did properly to stay calm and, by shortening the work, nonetheless managed to assemble helpful information. He additionally managed to finish a mini race simulation, nonetheless utilizing the Softs, not like the opposite drivers who did it with the Mediums, given that they had extra time.
Though the crimson automobile within the Abu Dhabi model gave the impression to be excellent, sadly, the information arrives that stuns the followers: the battery pack on automobile quantity 16 has been modified. Because of this Charles Leclerc will face a ten-position grid penalty for Sunday’s race on the 5.281-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island. A really powerful blow for the Maranello staff, which sadly complicates the battle within the Constructors’ Championship in opposition to McLaren.
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