TO You love methe arrival of Ferrari it brought with it a myriad of hopes. The first, without a doubt, revolved around the wise use of the tyres. A theme which, as we well know, had literally driven the ‘two Carlo’s crazy Chinaespecially when they had opted for the Pirelli white band (Hard) in the second stint. Temperatures noticeably milder than Shanghai they played in favor of the red in this sense. The optimal management of the energy released onto the roofs through the hysteresis cycle did not present any problems. So it was that, during qualifying, the SF-24 was able to express its full potential. However, it must be said that hitting the optimal operating window, and above all maintaining it for the entire session, was a difficult task, not to say almost impossible, for almost all users. competitor.
Fortunately, the issue of “switching on” the compounds is a headache that the red one has “forgotten”. You love meeven during in Competition. The degradation seemed well within the limits thought of with the legs under the table, during the usual sessions briefings taking place at the weekend, an aspect that allowed the two Ferrari drivers to push until the end of the race, without having to worry more than necessary about the tire management. A step forward which, however, will have to be confirmed Imolain two weeks, where the SF-24 will see the first major update package. One step evolutionary that the Horse Rampant think it can provide a plus important in the fight at the top with the hyperuranic Austrian car: the Red Bull RB20.
For the rest, going into more technical details, even in the race, as in the mini race on Saturday, a non-optimal value of EOSS (end of straight speed). Speed at the end of the straight not enough to fight on equal terms with the Red Bull Of Max Verstappen. Basically, the step of SF-24 it was very similar to that of the RB20 but on balance the resistance to progress did not allow the Italian cars to optimize the performance, this although the race pace was really good on both compounds used during the Grand Award. If we really want to be picky, we can add that the rear axle of the Ferrari it wasn’t perfect. A hair too light, in short. An aspect that added a negative figure to the value of the performance.
You love me has a conformation of its own layout very peculiar, where the different high speed sections are decisive, in the race, in the economy of the lap. Turning to the facts, the chosen strategy cannot be to blame. The clutch release of Leclerc at the start it was anything but good. Although the Monegasque maintained second position in turn one, 5 laps were enough to make up for the sensational top speed of the car. McLaren Of Plates. Square recovered thanks to the undercut went on stage through the early stop to mount the Hard, compound with which the Ferrari driver found himself quite comfortable.
McLaren surprisingly beats Red Bull. Ferrari in Verstappen’s wake
However, fate was on the side of today Norris. The Englishman was in fourth position when due to a clash between Magnussen And Sargeant there Safety Car was called into question. Landau was able to exploit the chance with a “free pit stops” gaining the lead of the race. At the restart the Briton from the team Woking he defended his position with his teeth Max, and then put down a hell of a rhythm, better than RB20 number 1. The colored cars papaya they had the merit of making it work properly Pirelli yellow band (Medium), being able to lengthen the first stint. Even with the Hard the pace of MCL38 it was truly excellent, with an activation that must be defined super.
The upgrade presented on Friday they did the rest. Re-shaping to the radiator outlets and the various modifications to the bellies that have given so much vertical thrust to the English single-seaters, correcting the structure of the flows that envelop the car while driving. The aerodynamic efficiency has increased considerably, partially erasing a distinctive feature of the progenitor version: the drag (advance resistance). Context that was responsible for widening the development window, from which the engineers of McLaren they made the most of it. A rather deserved victory Norrisalthough the number 4 car was lucky in the sixth round from the F1 registered 2024.
A Red bull who were defeated for the second time in six matches. First from Sainz in Australiatoday from Landau in Florida. Nonetheless Verstappen he didn’t make a drama out of it at all. The Dutchman remains firmly at the top of the drivers’ standings. Already yesterday, the original talent of Hasselt showed some difficulty in managing the tyre. The steering wheel was not as usual and even today, during the race, Max he had to deal with the tires. Feeling imperfect which did not allow him to extract the maximum performance from his RB20. Probably the only hour available to build the set-up it wasn’t enough for the team of Milton Keynes which usually, in this first part of the world championship, has taught us how on Saturdays they are good, on the sidelines of the three free practice sessions, at fine-tuning the car only after having expertly pondered the data collected.
