Scuderia Ferrari didn’t win the Qatar Grand Prix. Nonetheless, the twenty third spherical of the 2024 System 1 championship concluded with a partial smile. The Prancing Horse arrived in Losail with excessive hopes, however they confronted a structure that was not favorable for the SF-24 automotive, because the Arabian circuit that clearly favored McLaren and Pink Bull. And certainly, the 2 groups proved to be extra technically ready. The Milton Keynes group, to be truthful, struggled to grasp something throughout the sole apply session. It was a disastrous Friday, with a lackluster qualifying efficiency.
Saturday additionally began poorly, with the four-time System 1 world champion having to accept eighth place, even behind the shocking Haas of German driver Nico Hulkenberg. Then got here the technical “miracle” from the Austrian F1 group: a setup change that reworked the RB20 and allowed the Dutchman to make a distinction. A fantastic victory, deserved on the monitor, overcoming the FIA’s unfair penalty and George Russell’s double play. For McLaren, nevertheless, issues went considerably otherwise.
The dash race double win urged that securing the constructors’ championship could be a formality. Nonetheless, Sunday’s race execution nullified Woking’s efforts. Oscar Piastri was unfortunate, because the Security Automobile benefited nearly all of the main drivers besides him. As for Lando Norris, as soon as once more, we should criticize the Briton. Lando claims he’s not silly and is aware of the principles. And we consider him, in fact. However failing to note the yellow flag is a grave error that ruined his race.
He then carried out a outstanding restoration in simply over 10 laps, reaching tenth place and incomes the extra level for the quickest lap. Nonetheless, his oversight value the British group main the championship far an excessive amount of. This case retains Ferrari’s dream of catching the title alive. But, the Maranello group was not flawless throughout the Qatari weekend both. Within the first qualifying session, they did not make the tires work, and the Dash Race went as we all know. Within the second qualifying session, they sorted out the tire concern, however the end result was even worse.
Ferrari didn’t have nice optimism for the 300 kilometer distance. They began behind the 2 McLaren automobiles, and the SF-24’s tempo was not adequate to beat the MCL38s on the monitor. Moreover, unhealthy luck struck. We discuss with the sluggish puncture on the entrance left tire of automotive quantity 55. The tire delaminated, forcing Carlos Sainz to drive half a lap very slowly to achieve the pits. The Spaniard clearly misplaced floor and, as soon as again on monitor, discovered himself in seventh place. For Charles Leclerc, fortuitously, issues went a lot better.
Oscar Piastri made his cease earlier than the Security Automobile got here out, taking the estimated time required for the tire change and pit-lane transit. Charles Leclerc, alternatively, pitted below double yellow flag circumstances, with a shorter time-frame that allowed him to return to the monitor forward of the Australian. Shortly after, Lando Norris acquired a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, and the Ferrari driver moved as much as second place behind Max Verstappen. From that time on, the Dutchman pulled away, and Charles Leclerc did an important job defending in opposition to Oscar Piastri, who stayed shut till the end line. A second place that’s price its weight in gold.
At this level, a query about technique arises: may Ferrari have achieved extra tactically? Was there an opportunity to goal for victory? Let’s make clear. There was an choice Ferrari thought of however finally discarded. Charles Leclerc, with the Security Automobile on monitor, may have made one other cease to modify to medium tires when the group was compelled to move by means of the pit-lane to permit the marshals to scrub the monitor. In truth, in line with the laws, the quantity 16 SF-24 automotive may have stopped at that second.
Furthermore, analyzing the GPS knowledge concerning the drivers’ monitor positions, Charles Leclerc may have maintained his place over Oscar Piastri. Observing the hole between them, it’s clear that the Monegasque had a margin of over 5 seconds as soon as the pit-limiter was activated at 80 kilometers per hour. Contemplating a mean cease time of about 2.5 seconds, the Monegasque driver may have switched to mediums, having already fulfilled the requirement to make use of a special compound. This is able to have allowed him to sort out the ultimate 21 laps with a softer, extra performance-oriented tire by way of tempo.
Talking to the media, Ferrari group principal Frederic Vasseur clarified that Ferrari’s pit wall thought of this chance. Nonetheless, the distant storage deemed it extra acceptable to remain on the hards, a call shared by the remainder of the grid aside from Fernando Alonso, who, regardless of being on mediums, was unable to realize positions on monitor. This selection had a transparent rationale: giving Charles’ automotive the yellow-marked Pirelli tires for the ultimate stint of the Qatar Grand Prix would have required additional care to activate the tires, necessitating a sluggish introduction.
Arduous compounds have a wider working window. This implies they may very well be pushed more durable straight away with out concern of shortening their lifespan. With mediums, the chance of doing so was very excessive, doubtlessly disrupting temperatures and failing to forestall graining from setting in. Primarily based on the information, contemplating the Dash Race and the primary stint of Sunday’s race, Ferrari needed to perform substantial tire administration on a number of corners of the monitor throughout the first ten laps earlier than steadily decreasing lap occasions.
Such a state of affairs would have severely challenged the Ferrari driver, considerably growing the chance of being overtaken by Oscar Piastri and subsequently shedding contact with the Australian within the following laps, in addition to with Max Verstappen, with out then having the ability to capitalize on the additional grip of the mediums on the finish. Because of this, we “absolve” Ferrari and we’re additionally satisfied that on this case, the Maranello pit wall made the appropriate choice to proceed on the Arduous tires. A method which may have appeared conservative or defensive however one which was, in actuality, the right transfer. In any case, they secured a podium end in second place, which was removed from assured earlier than the beginning of the race in Lusail.
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