F1: the only one Ferrari divided the work into Fp1for a first run on hard rubber and quickly optimize the set-up. The goal was to make as many consecutive laps as possible with the same one compound which doesn’t degrade much. After that Sainz he put together a 12-lap stint still on the tyre Pirelli white band, useful for taking references with a high quantity of fuel on board, simulating the race. Finally the Spaniard tried the flying lap on the Soft to understand how the red car behaved in qualifying trim, where the Italian car proved to be well balanced and easy to drive.
In T1 Ferrari manages to generate a very stable load which allows the “two Carlos” to climb a lot on the internal curb. Useful move to keep the best trajectory and gain a few useful fractions of a second. The on average more rigid suspension setup adopted seems to work. A set-up that fully exploits the potential of the car compared to last season, when the SF-23 Of Leclerc broke down resulting in the total loss of grip which brought the Monegasque to the wall. We’ve seen some snap due to the smaller load but nothing serious.
The ride on Turn 8 is very good, especially the entrance. In the T2 the red ones produce on average speeds about 3 km/h slower than the Red Bullbut at the moment the team Of F1 However, the Italian seems satisfied with the top speeds (EOSS). During the straight of the central sector alone they lose about a tenth compared to the RB20. Arrived in the slow section, at 12 pm SF-24 they still manage to gain something, only to start losing. The handling is good and the absolute levels of grip are similar between the two cars. However Red Bull it makes the difference at the exit of the last curve of this sector.
At the end of the qualification of F1 valid for the 100 km mini race, Leclerctalking to the box via radio, he identified this corner as today’s main limit, an area of the track where he lost more than a tenth. In traction Max earn a lot both on Ferrari what up McLaren. They probably get to that point with the compound still in the window compared to the other two rivals. Between the red rubber and the medium the operating window has shifted by a few degrees, a small difference which however produces a gap substantial by completely changing the activation and the warm-up-strategy.
F1, Ferrari SF-24: Leclerc loses pole due to a double correction in T1
In the Q1 from the Sprint Shootout Leclerc he started the ride with the tire slightly below the window. A strategy to get there T2 with the compounds being a few degrees cooler having more grip. A move that he paid for overall but which did not allow him to take the lead pole. The imperfect activation in the first sector, in fact, produced a couple of important flaws that detracted from the performance SF-24 number 16. Observing the times, in T3 the gaps are minimal towards Red Bull, where among other things Charles made another correction. He normally earned something on this stretch on the RB20. Too bad, starting from the pole was doable.
As expected, the red performs very well in the supported and wide-radius curves such as 3 and 6. A fact that we can easily observe from the following graph, relating to the micro sectors of the SQ3 Of F1. However, the results on the straights and in the more driven areas of the US track are not as good. McLaren manages to make the difference by gaining in some sections of the two long straights, thanks to an important factor which we will talk about later. There Red Bull it is excellent in T1where it is capable of taking full advantage of the high grip side offered by the frame of its RB20. They use a fairly weak winger present for the only occasion this year only in Saudi Arabia.
Specifies that it lightens the rear and produces a slight oversteer especially on entry. In curve 8 Verstappen he suffered some snap in free practice, with the rear axle tending to break down right at the entrance, also thanks to the very annoying tail wind. However, in view of the qualification, Red Bull it managed to achieve the optimal balance while showing slight understeer. At the entrance the red is more solid, but then the RB20 build the traction advantage. In SQ3 Verstappen he suffered a slip between 14th and 15th, losing the rear after climbing the curb.
We are talking about a clear mistake by the great talent of Hasseltas the Dutchman tried to cut the track too much. McLaren has made a significant breakthrough in F1especially on the efficiency front. The great package brought here to Miami is already working at full capacity and no particular correlation problems emerged between CFDs, wind tunnel and track. An update which, at least partially, seems to have overcome the main limitation of the single-seater, still shared with last season’s car. we are precisely talking about the important relationship between aerodynamic load and resistance to progress.
Norris it creates a void in the first sector, when in reality in the Fp1 morning they were behind Red Bull And Ferrari. The team Of Woking worked very well with the Medium, whose temperature window and its use perfectly matched the characteristics of the single-seater. With the red compound they instead took a step back, but due to an error also attributable to the two drivers. In fact, in free practice they hadn’t lapped that much with the compound Soft. Plates he didn’t use it and Norris he only scored 2 rounds.
F1, even McLaren could fight for pole
In fact, we know well how different activation and activation can be warm-up-strategy between a compound and another, in these cases. The teams of F1 they aimed to maximize the ignition of the footwear Pirelli red band for qualifying, working less on the yellow tyre. Precisely for this simple reason the McLaren MCL38 seemed to be the surprise of the day, given that on average they found themselves to be very competitive on a chronometric level.
Comparing the real times with those ideally achievable, we note how the qualification could offer decidedly different implications. Also McLaren he could have achieved pole, but fell short tire management of rubber Soft. In Mercedes have brought some updates to the fund, but at the moment they do not seem to provide all the hoped-for benefits. Still not much correlation between the simulation tools used in the factory and the test on the track. The German car, the W15, it is not precise when inserting and tails when exiting. The big problem however is in the slow, where there is an endemic lack of grip consistent mechanic.
Authors: Alessandro Arcari – @berrageiz – Niccolo Arnerich – @niccoloarnerich
Images: Albert Fabrega – @AlbertFabrega – F1TV
