In a time the place the Ferrari chairman made headlines for his comment on the Scuderia’s Formulation 1 drivers following a poor Brazil Grand Prix, all the pieces appears far more constructive after Thursday apply in Las Vegas.
Charles Leclerc topped the opening session earlier than ending third in FP2 whereas Lewis Hamilton may solely muster tenth and eleventh, however was caught out by numerous disruptions. It marks a stark distinction to Sao Paulo the place the Italian outfit was off the tempo instantly, having struggled with trip heights across the bumpy and scorching South American circuit.
However within the chilly, evening situations of Vegas it has clearly discovered one thing, regardless of Leclerc’s early finish to the day. The Monegasque suffered a gearbox downside with roughly 5 minutes remaining in FP2, that means he ducked behind the Flip 5 barrier after being informed to not use his gear shift.
Leclerc clearly wasn’t too frightened in his post-practice media session although, labelling it as “a little bit of a misunderstanding in all the pieces that occurred”. He then confirmed “will probably be all positive” earlier than providing his expectations for qualifying on Friday evening in Nevada.
“Actually we’re not in a foul place,” mentioned the eight-time grand prix victor. “However we have to wait and see. I believe the Mercedes may be very sturdy and clearly McLaren and Purple Bull are additionally within the struggle so I believe it will be tight.
“I simply hope we are able to construct from now and be within the struggle for pole tomorrow, however it’s been constructive. I believe the tempo was sturdy as we speak.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Photos through Getty Photos
Optimism hasn’t been the theme of Ferrari’s 2025 marketing campaign contemplating it has did not kick on from final yr’s runner-up end, the place it was combating for the title on the Abu Dhabi finale in opposition to eventual champions McLaren.
The Scuderia is fourth within the 2025 standings with three grands prix remaining and its solely win got here within the Shanghai dash amid a season of McLaren domination. However Vegas has introduced a chance for different groups, specifically Mercedes, Purple Bull and Ferrari, to struggle for the win after the constructors’ champions struggles right here final yr with sixth and seventh because of its points with tyre graining.
There’s a widespread perception that one thing related might occur this yr – Vegas 2024 winner George Russell dominated out the probabilities of a McLaren victory on Wednesday – even when championship chief Lando Norris topped the twice red-flagged FP2 after taking sixth in FP1.
It’s thus a chance anyone like Hamilton must pounce on after a disappointing debut yr at Ferrari, as he searches for that first grand prix podium for the Italian staff – Shanghai dash win apart. He has nearly as good an opportunity to take action after wanting fairly strong on the opening day in Vegas, that means not an excessive amount of must be learn into his lowly positions.
His quickest lap in FP1, for instance, was disrupted by a sluggish Nico Hulkenberg forward, whereas drivers used differing compounds throughout the stop-start second session. So the media session afterwards introduced an precise upbeat Hamilton, which has been a rarity this yr.
“I felt fairly first rate,” mentioned the seven-time world champion, who completed second in Vegas final yr. “P1 usually felt good, I simply did not get a lap in after which similar factor in P2.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
“We improved the automotive in P2 and I used to be feeling sturdy in sector one, similar as I used to be in P1, however yellow flags and the pink flags simply obtained in the way in which sadly. However everybody’s in the identical boat. I obtained some good learnings on the market and I am excited for tomorrow.”
The 40-year-old additionally careworn how slippery the monitor was in FP1, displaying one other instance of how mastering the tough situations is vital for achievement in Vegas. Regardless, Hamilton confirmed “we in all probability will not make many adjustments tonight” due to how content material he’s feeling, however Leclerc supplied a differing opinion.
“It is all about making an attempt to anticipate what the situations of tomorrow shall be like and guarantee that we begin on the correct foot tomorrow,” he mentioned. “However I’ve fairly clear concepts of what I need to do with the automotive to try to enhance it and we’ll see tomorrow if these have been the correct decisions.”
Follow day didn’t provide many classes, however Ferrari being within the frontrunning struggle was definitely one among them.
Learn Additionally:
We would like your opinion!
What would you wish to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Crew
