In qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Ferrari drivers secured fifth and seventh positions. The setup improved progressively over the course of the Barcelona weekend, minimizing the numerous lack of rotation. Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc’s conservative alternative prevented him from absolutely benefiting from the observe evolution. The arrival of clouds lowered the observe temperature by about 4 levels—a modest however essential drop by way of tyre thermal administration.
Charles has much less confidence than Lewis in medium-speed corners
Information evaluation reveals that essentially the most crucial corners for the Monegasque in Q3 had been the medium-speed ones. Particularly, Charles Leclerc struggled in Flip 1 and Flip 4, the place he suffered from restricted rotation in comparison with Lewis Hamilton. His difficulties could also be linked to suboptimal tyre preparation, which compelled him right into a extra cautious method underneath braking, bringing much less pace into the centre of the nook.
For the seven-time F1 world champion, essentially the most problematic factors in the course of the Catalan qualifying session had been Flip 5 and Flip 10: marked oversteer in Flip 10 and entry points in Flip 5. In that part of the observe, the Briton diversified his braking level throughout completely different makes an attempt, solely discovering an excellent stability on his ultimate timed lap.
McLaren as soon as once more proved superior in producing aerodynamic downforce. The TD018 directive had no impression in anyway on the efficiency of the reigning world champions. Oscar Piastri made the distinction with a cleaner driving type, particularly within the first sector. Though his ultimate time was just like Lando Norris’s, the latter’s errors compromised the thermal stability of the tyres, inflicting them to overheat.
Taking a look at a whole part of corners, the Purple automotive confirmed enchancment in essentially the most technical components. In Flip 5 and within the portion of the observe between Turns 10 and 12, Charles Leclerc ranked among the many greatest. In comparison with the early races of the season, the Monegasque is now giving extra significance to nook exit. This benefit is because of the good mechanical grip on the rear, supported by efficient camber restoration offered by the suspension.
Moreover, this combines with the usage of “path throttle,” a method helpful in aiding rotation in gradual corners. Max Verstappen carried out excellently, though the Dutchman practically misplaced third place to George Russell as a consequence of understeer that restricted the RB21’s competitiveness. Onboard footage reveals how Max Verstappen was compelled to extend the steering angle to compensate for the dearth of rotation.
Purple Bull engineers shifted each the mechanical and aerodynamic balances to the rear, aiming to enhance thermal administration in the course of the race. Nevertheless, this alternative penalised qualifying by making it more durable to convey the entrance tyres as much as temperature. George Russell stood out for his clear driving, however lacked sharpness in corners: as proven within the knowledge, the Briton didn’t carry pace by the center of the turns and struggled with traction.
Ferrari makes use of hybrid energy in another way however has extra drag than McLaren and Mercedes
Each George Russell and Kimi Antonelli stood out on the straights, making full use of their vehicles’ low drag, particularly on the principle straight. McLaren additionally confirmed its excessive effectivity and stays by far essentially the most full automotive. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc adopted a barely completely different hybrid deployment technique. As typically occurs, the 2 Ferrari drivers save vitality within the early a part of the principle straight to favour traction on nook exit.
Furthermore, the SF-25 has larger aerodynamic resistance, which limits prime pace on the finish of the straight. The race appears to be like set to be tough for each vehicles, partly as a consequence of their beginning positions. Regardless that each drivers have two new units of medium tyres, soiled air and tyre degradation may pose important challenges. Fred Vasseur doesn’t share this view and stays upbeat. Identical for Lewis, who is especially optimistic.
It will likely be essential to confirm whether or not the Maranello staff has discovered the suitable race tempo stability. The long-run simulation in FP3 was optimistic however not very telling, because of the low variety of laps. It’s doable that the drivers would possibly begin on the smooth tyre to use additional grip within the early section. Afterwards, it’s going to develop into clear whether or not the automotive’s updates will enable for higher administration of the medium compound.
— see video above —-
Purchase official Ferrari F1 merchandise!
Let different Scuderia Followers find out about us
