The third and final free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix has not yet defined a clear scale of values between the top teams, but rather contributed to the perception that the battle for the flying lap in qualifying could be extremely level, with two Ferraris, a McLaren and a Red Bull in just 74 thousandths.
FP3 analysis, good step forward Ferrari
For the Maranello team, the step forward in the general balance of the car compared to the first day was tangible. Obviously the biggest difference was seen with Leclerc, yesterday not ready, today ready and fast, but the potential and good balance of the SF-24 emerged both on the flying lap and, above all, on the race pace, with a truly excellent simulation of pace especially from the Monegasque who even saw a trend towards lower times thanks to perfect management of the introduction of the tyre. Despite the updates, the impression is that Ferrari currently has a load level just below its rivals, but there are several variables to include in the equation. The two main ones that come to mind are the expected drop in temperatures for the race and the balance between the axles. The first, i.e. the Freddo arriving, is to be taken into consideration both on the cooling front, but also on the load front, given that with lower temperatures the same level of downforce can be obtained with slightly lower incidences of the wings, an aspect that could be considered by the engineers from a race perspective . The second, even more relevant, lies in the choice of a balancing of the car that may prefer one axle (to be protected on the race pace) rather than another. For example, a car with a balance aimed at protecting the rear can pay a lot in terms of race pace because it guarantees traction for the entire duration of the stint, but tends to generate understeer in the flying lap, which is why it will also be necessary to weigh the results of the qualifications with everything what we will also see in the race.
The data
For the comparison with the competition we used Leclerc’s lap as the Monegasque was faster than Sainz for the entire lap except at turn 12, due to the error exiting turn 10 which then continued into the following stretch . What we notice from the data is a fast Ferrari on the first straight, in contrast with what we have normally seen so far and giving the impression that this time there is also particular attention to the “launch” in the round. Anyway the SF-24 gains on McLaren and Red Bull also in the long turn 3 and, especially in the central sectorin the stretch of turns 5 and 6, with Leclerc also tending to anticipate the corner compared to his opponents, breaking away earlier, anticipating the entry and then having a better angle at the exit. In 8th Verstappen definitely suffers, while in 9th Leclerc (but also Sainz) regularly passes much slower than the competition (8 km/h in this case). It is a trend that we have seen in all the free practices, with the red team’s drivers lifting their foot off the accelerator decidedly more than the competition, but it will be interesting to recheck the data in qualifying to understand if it is a set-up characteristic of the Ferrari or if it is here it is simply more prudent for the pilots. The third sector is a little more critical for Ferrari and where McLaren and Red Bull are getting closer, who seem to arrive with the tires slightly more in the window than the Ferrari drivers.
Question of balance and moments
The lap will however be a matter of balance between the three sectors, given that the soft tire does not allow you to push indiscriminately throughout the lap without suffering from overheating, so it will be interesting to see how teams and teams will manage differently in this regard. The clear favorite should be Max Verstappen, with a very hidden Red Bull both in the race simulation with a lot of fuel on board, and in the qualifying with the powers of the Power Unit certainly not squeezed to the hilt, but the absence of a flash to Verstappen’s record and Perez’s (enormous) difficulties give the level of ua Red Bull who arrives, once again, in qualifying a bit with his heart in his mouth from an asset point of view. McLaren for its part seems to be the most complete and fearsome car, but from third free practice Ferrari also seems capable of aiming for something important. For now, Mercedes is still close although probably one step behind the competition, but ready to dive into the fray if given the opportunity. Qualifying therefore promises to be enormously interesting and indecisive, we will see who will prevail between searching for the moment with the best track and the best balance between the sectors.
