Ferrari: cold complicates qualifying, but race pace gives confidence | 2024 F1 Las Vegas GP
Today at 06:59 AM
During the early laps on Friday, radio communications between the drivers on track and their engineers were intense. “I can’t stay on track,” was the common alarm. Eventually, each driver realized that the issue was not specific to their car but a general problem linked to the track conditions. The situation improved as the ideal racing line became rubbered in, but the Las Vegas circuit remains the lowest in terms of grip across the entire calendar.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc faced the same challenges. Once their initial concerns about unique traction issues were alleviated, the two Ferrari drivers focused on their scheduled program. Carlos finished the day in fourth position, ahead of Charles. The gap to the Hamilton-Norris duo was three-tenths, with Ferrari struggling to heat up its tires effectively. However, race pace feedback was positive, even though the number of laps completed was limited due to a red flag caused by Alex Albon stopping on track.
"It went as expected," commented Charles Leclerc. "We're struggling a bit with the tires due to the very low temperatures. Mercedes looks very strong, but we've seen over the season that they are more aggressive with tire management, which is an advantage in these conditions. We need to find something to turn this around, but we're not that far off. Our long-run pace is good—it's been the story of this season. We suffer more in qualifying but perform better in the race. It's better this way than the other way around."
"For the first laps in FP1, I think the grip was the worst we've had since Turkey 2020!" Carlos Sainz confirmed. "But we're all in the same boat. There's a very fine line between having the tires ready in the first sector or not. If you feel the grip in the first corners, you know it'll be a good lap; otherwise, you have to try again because, without the right traction, it feels like a different track."
The challenge for Ferrari's engineers will be to maximize one-lap performance without compromising race pace. Once the tires reached the right temperature, the SF-24's race pace proved strong.
"I hope overtaking during the race will be as easy as last year," Charles Leclerc reiterated, adding that he does not expect to start from the front row on Saturday evening. "Today, on a single lap, we'd be behind the two Mercedes and probably also the two McLarens, but let's wait for tomorrow. There's work to do, and we have everything we need to head in the right direction. But again, the priority remains race pace."
Ferrari might get some help from the weather. FP2, which started at 10:00 PM local time (the same as Saturday's race), was held with track temperatures at 13°C. Forecasts predict a two-degree increase tomorrow and a four-degree increase for Saturday.
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