F1: it’s a Imola disappointed is the one who leavesEnzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack. Leclerc And Sainz they failed to do better than fourth and fifth place in today’s qualifying, once again dominated by the usual Max Verstappen, who put the major difficulties experienced during yesterday’s free practice behind him. Already from this morning, the RB20 of the Dutchman seemed more in order, but it was thought that the two “Carletti” could actually be fighting for the pole positionand at least play with it too McLaren.
Already in the first attempt of the Q3 there was a feeling of how the Ferrari was lacking in something compared to its direct opponents, in particular in Variation of the Tambourine: taking curves 2 and 3 into consideration, the SF-24 he can’t behave like the Red Bull of the three-time world champion. It doesn’t seem to be a question of tire management as in previous races, or rather, there is always something wrong, despite having ironed out some problems, but it seems that the approach to that specific type of corner creates a gap of as much as three tenths and which in the end costs dearly.
Yes, because the single-seater of F1 colored red appears to be competitive in the rest of the track Imolabut that point the gap accumulated at Tambourine turns out to be too important to think about attacking pole position. Clearly these are all analyzes done after qualifying, for the race the story could be different, also considering that Leclerc And Sainzmost likely, both will start from the second row due to a penalty which, unless there are sensational twists, will be inflicted on Plates For impeding in Q1 against Magnussen.
F1, Ferrari: Leclerc can’t attack like Verstappen
Charles Leclerc he is the most disappointed driver of the two Ferrari. The Monegasque evidently really believed in an important result, also considering what he demonstrated until the end of the match Q2. Red Bull And McLaren but they brought out that little bit more, and even just two tenths can make a big difference in this historical period F1. Charles knows he missed his chance at Tambourineand try to find a plausible explanation for the lack of first row.
“We don’t know what we’re missing in the first sector – Leclerc tells us at the end of the day -. The tire warm-up is still an important factor, but it’s strange, because we tried so many things and in the end the problems remain, especially in those corners. We’re working on it, we’ve been struggling for a few Grands Prix, but we have to improve.”
The difference with the RB20 Of Verstappen it is also in the attack on the curbs: Max manages to attack them in a devastating way compared to the competition, and it is something that the same Leclerc he tried to reply in Q3without however having the desired effects, losing three tenths of a second from the Dutch champion only in the first two variations, i.e Tambourine And Villeneuve. After that, second and third sectors at the level, but it can’t be enough.
“We know that one of Red Bull’s strengths is how well they can attack the curbs. For my part, I tried, but with our car we can’t do the same thing at the moment. We will analyze these details in depth, but the trend in recent races is this.”
F1, Ferrari: Sainz aware of the strength of others
In Ferrari but there are those who have tried to look reality more in the face: let’s talk about Carlos Sainzfifth at the end of the day, clearly always net of the penalty of Plates. The Spaniard didn’t expect to do much better than this, and he is therefore not surprised by the half second gap given to him by Verstappen. For the Matadorthe track of Imola it is not particularly suited to the characteristics of SF-24but rather she is a “friend” of Red Bull And McLaren.
“I honestly didn’t expect anything more – admits Sainz after qualifying -. The Imola circuit suits the characteristics of Red Bull And McLaren. The wind didn’t help us, because today it blew behind us, while yesterday it was in our faces. We’re talking about two or three tenths of a difference, nothing that large, but with these regulations it’s very difficult to close the gap. The update package is helping us, it’s important, but I think some tracks will be pro McLaren, others pro Ferrari, and here we are on a track more for them than for us.”
“We still have some sensitivity to improve through developments. We can still fight for the podium tomorrow, while I have more difficulty thinking about the victory, because to hope for it something sensational would have to happen like it did for Norris in Miami. We are on a track where it is not easy to overtake, but by starting a little behind, we can have the chance to get on the podium.”
That the updates of the Ferrari they work is beyond doubt, but what it says Sainz may be true up to a certain point, because the McLaren itself has shown that it can improve, and a lot with developments. We’ll probably see one on other tracks SF-24 EVO more competitive than the competition, but it must be said that tomorrow’s race still needs to be played, and beware of taking things for granted.
Author: Andrea Bovone
Images: Scuderia Ferrari F1-TV
