The goal of Ferrari it’s clear: take pole and triumph in the 7th round of the 2024 F1. It will be easy? No sir. On the contrary, the difficulties are many. The reasons are different and all complicated. First of all, the question of danger. We are referring to the limited possibility of making errors which, as we know, can be fatal. A little smudge and the omelette is done. Secondly, the problems related to the development of the single-seater, trying to put factors such as traction and speed in changes of direction at the center of the weekend.
Without forgetting the tire issue, related activation and maintenance of the working range throughout the session. A classification session that effectively puts a guarantee on victory. Precisely for this reason, the last hour available to refine the car setup is crucial. A fine tuning which is carried out by processing the data collected yesterday.
Ferrari she thinks she can make a further leap in quality to confirm herself as the favourite. Clearly in these cases the words leave the time they find. Furthermore, Red Bull And McLaren they feed the same target and they are strongly prepared to achieve it. While Mercedes And Aston Martin moreover, considering the experience of Lewis Hamilton And Fernando Alonso they will undoubtedly throw themselves into the fray, in an attempt to fish the joker and start ahead of some opponents.
F1, Ferrari “strikes down” the Soft tires
When there are a few minutes left until the start of the Fp3, inside the Italian garage everything is ready. We are just waiting for the green flag. Weather conditions update: The air temperature was 22.3°C, the asphalt temperature was 47.4°C. Humidity at 57%, 1.3 km/h intensity of the wind blowing from the western quadrant. Ferrari he chose to use the more loaded front wing configuration, snubbing the version with the nolder which offered a slightly lower load. Only checks have been carried out on the car, power unittransmission, braking system and hybrid system, the “two Carlo” are preparing to abandon the pitlane.
Before you do it Valtteri Bottas lose grip exiting the second chicane of the swimming pools. The result is a big hit against the barriers which actually breaks the front right suspension of his Stakes. Red flagtherefore, to give time to steward to remove the F1 all green. Once the track has been restored the reds finally exit the garage. For this first one runboth Italian cars are fitted with a set Of Pirelli red band. Having put aside the outlap where large traffic and the activation of the compounds must be managed, we move on to the push. At this moment the track does not have an optimal level of grip.
For this reason we see several long ones. The reds’ approach is prudent so as not to make mistakes. Meanwhile, several suggestions arrive on the usual settings relating to brakes and differential at the center of the curve to manage rotation. In the second attempt the risks increase and with them the clock goes down. In general we note a very good balance, along the lines of that observed yesterday. Adami And Bozzi command the mode Engine 1to be able to access the maximum power of the internal combustion engine.
Charles comes a long hair to the Fairmontthe only flaw in a good round. Bryan suggests changing the brake balance setting to facilitate entry and avoid micro-blocking. Sainz he seems to be in less difficulty than yesterday, even if there is a certain difficulty compared to his teammate. In the T2the second chicane of the swimming pools, slightly loses my rear but manages to control his SF-24 EVO. Two steps to cool the tires for him, while Leclerc keep pushing. There is a lot of work on Turn 10 for both Ferrari drivers. A driving coaching useful for optimizing the section of the track.
Finally too Sainz find a good one confidence with your own car. An aspect that allows him to lower his times. The Ferrari fans return in garage but the pause is rather short. The F1 cars with the Prancing Horse mounted another set of Soft tires and after the activation round they launched into the first attempt of this second run. Leclerc he continues to push really hard, lowering his lap times. Bozzi he is very precise and points out how the attempt could have been better, despite the performance is very good.
He refers in particular to turn 5 where the braking could have been more precise, and then notes the slightly late entry into the Rascasse. The Monegasque seems really unleashed. This can be seen not only from the guide but from the amount of information he asks for and receives on the radio. Lots of safety for him, with an aggressive but relaxed ride from someone who knows what he is doing. Good too Carlos although in this case the Iberian does not show the same brilliance as his teammate.
The session program continues with as many laps as possible. The goal is to maximize confidence. During the last rounds Ferrari touches the barriers with the Monegasque in turn 4. The car does not appear damaged even if it enters the box for a check accurate. Charles makes sure the control is perfect, mindful of the past right here at Monk he was forced to retire on the reconnaissance lap. While in Sainz try to optimize your driving. Three minutes later Leclerc is still on track confirming that his SF-24 EVO did not suffer any damage.
The session doesn’t have much more to tell except the awakening Verstappen. The Dutchman decides to groom his Red Bull RB20 in turn and prints an excellent time, even if the Monegasque is 2 tenths behind. To conclude we can say that Ferrari is a candidate for starting from the pole, especially with Charles Leclerc that in Grand Prix home seems to have an edge. Last info: the condition of the SF-24 EVO number 16 is excellent after the slight contact with the barriers.
Author: Alessandro Arcari – @berrageiz
Images: Scuderia Ferrari – F1Tv
