In a time the place the chairman made headlines for following a poor Brazil Grand Prix, all the things seems way more optimistic after Thursday follow in Las Vegas.
earlier than ending third in FP2 whereas might 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 experience heights across the bumpy and scorching South American circuit.
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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 drawback with roughly 5 minutes remaining in FP2, which means he ducked behind the Flip 5 barrier after being instructed to not use his gear shift.
Leclerc clearly wasn’t too apprehensive in his post-practice media session although, labelling it as “a little bit of a misunderstanding in all the things that occurred”. He then confirmed “will probably be all tremendous” earlier than providing his expectations for qualifying on Friday evening in Nevada.
“Truthfully we’re not in a nasty place,” mentioned the eight-time grand prix victor. “However we have to wait and see. I feel the could be very robust and clearly and Purple Bull are additionally within the battle so I feel it should be tight.
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“I simply hope we will construct from now and be within the battle for pole tomorrow, but it surely’s been optimistic. I feel the tempo was robust at present.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Optimism hasn’t been the theme of Ferrari’s 2025 marketing campaign contemplating it has didn’t kick on from final yr’s runner-up end, the place it was preventing 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 offered a chance for different groups, specifically Mercedes, Purple Bull and Ferrari, to battle for the win after the constructors’ champions struggles right here final yr with sixth and seventh as a consequence of its points with tyre graining.
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There’s a widespread perception that one thing comparable might occur this yr – Vegas 2024 winner dominated out the possibilities of a McLaren victory on Wednesday – even when championship chief 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, which means not an excessive amount of needs to be learn into his lowly positions.
His quickest lap in FP1, for instance, was disrupted by a gradual forward, whereas drivers used differing compounds in the course of the stop-start second session. So the media session afterwards offered an precise upbeat Hamilton, which has been a rarity this yr.
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“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 identical factor in P2.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Williams
“We improved the automobile in P2 and I used to be feeling robust in sector one, identical as I used to be in P1, however yellow flags and the pink flags simply acquired in the best way sadly. However everybody’s in the identical boat. I acquired some good learnings on the market and I am excited for tomorrow.”
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The 40-year-old additionally burdened how slippery the observe was in FP1, exhibiting one other instance of how mastering the difficult situations is essential for fulfillment in Vegas. Regardless, Hamilton confirmed “we in all probability will not make many modifications tonight” due to how content material he’s feeling, however Leclerc provided a differing opinion.
“It is all about making an attempt to anticipate what the situations of tomorrow will likely be like and be sure that we begin on the proper foot tomorrow,” he mentioned. “However I’ve fairly clear concepts of what I wish to do with the automobile to attempt to enhance it and we’ll see tomorrow if these have been the proper selections.”
Follow day didn’t supply many classes, however Ferrari being within the frontrunning battle was actually considered one of them.
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