Ferrari’s System 1 drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc famous struggles with getting their tyres as much as temperature in Las Vegas, because the Spaniard in contrast the circumstances to Turkey’s moist race in 2020.
Having centered extra on race efficiency with the design of its 2024 automobile, as its earlier fashions tended to overheat their tyres on longer runs and couldn’t capitalise on typically spectacular qualifying outcomes, Ferrari has discovered one-lap tempo tougher to come back by this season.
This has been uncovered extra on Las Vegas’ structure, the place a clean monitor with few medium/high-speed corners has resulted within the SF-24 missing the snap warmth era of its forebears.
Sainz famous that the circuit improved significantly throughout FP1 after the “Turkey 2020” opening laps of the session – a race through which drivers have been rewarded with staying out on used intermediates relatively than switching to slicks on the drying Istanbul circuit.
He added that the drop in temperature for the later FP2 session, the place monitor temperatures fell from 17C to 14C, modified the complexion of the Thursday apply classes and reckoned having the tyres prepared for a qualifying lap on Friday can be on a knife-edge.
“These first laps in FP1 have been the bottom grip I feel since Turkey 2020, the place we had these loopy low grip circumstances. By the day the monitor ramped up and picked up some grip,” Sainz defined.
“However with that additionally, the temperature got here down as we acquired extra into the evening after which all the pieces appeared a bit extra sophisticated. I feel everybody’s in the identical boat; it is a very nice line between having the tyres prepared, and never prepared in sector one.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photographs
“And from then on, it may well snowball into an excellent lap or a really unhealthy lap. So yeah, it’s a totally different monitor.
“I feel we’re within the combine. Mercedes has been very sturdy all day, Lando and McLaren additionally. Perhaps we aren’t performing as sturdy as everybody was considering we have been going to carry out.
“We’ve got some homework tonight to possibly attempt to discover some lap time, particularly coming from qualifying. The race, we appear to be okay as soon as all the pieces will get as much as temperature, however over one lap, we appear to nonetheless have some work to do.”
Leclerc felt that Ferrari’s efficiency on Thursday was anticipated and that the group wished to discover a resolution for Friday’s qualifying session the place it may take pleasure in “the perfect of each worlds” with out compromising on promising race tempo.
Ferrari was outperformed by Mercedes and McLaren in one-lap tempo in FP2, however barely shadowed McLaren within the longer runs.
“We anticipated it to occur, as we’re struggling just a little bit to place the tyres in temperature. I feel Mercedes seems very, very sturdy. They have been a bit extra aggressive on tyres all 12 months lengthy.
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“They’re very sturdy for now. So we have to attempt to discover one thing to attempt to flip the scenario round – however we’re not to date.
“All in all, I feel we’re very sturdy in race tempo, a bit much less sturdy in quali. It has been a bit the story of our season, however it’s higher that manner than, than the other.
“I simply hope that overtaking might be as straightforward as final 12 months. Whether it is, it is higher to be in our place. However we’re nonetheless attempting to have the perfect of each worlds, and enhance on qualifying as a result of for now we’re a bit far, however I am assured we might be stronger tomorrow.”
Photographs from Las Vegas GP Follow
