Earlier than the race weekend and even earlier than the race itself, Ferrari was thought of the favourite for victory in Las Vegas, because the lengthy straights and sluggish corners suited the SF-24 effectively. Nonetheless, there have been uncertainties linked to the ambient temperatures. “There are two elements at play for us: the favorable monitor structure and the much less favorable ambient temperatures, given how a lot we’ve struggled to warmth the tires this yr. We’ll see how they steadiness out and who comes out on high this weekend,” Carlos Sainz aptly mentioned coming into the third-to-last race weekend.
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc’s assault on George Russell a results of differing tire expectations
In hindsight, the low temperatures restricted the SF-24’s efficiency; nevertheless, the favorable structure allowed the Italian workforce to realize third and fourth place within the Las Vegas Grand Prix. In line with the Maranello workforce, this outcome may have been higher with improved execution through the race, as each drivers may need been capable of contend for second and third place with Lewis Hamilton.
It’s equally clear that, in Las Vegas, the SF-24 was the second-best automobile on monitor. Nonetheless, graining unexpectedly hampered the Italian automobile, to the purpose the place Charles Leclerc in contrast the issues skilled within the ultimate kilometers on the yellow tires to these attributable to a puncture. “We struggled an excessive amount of with graining, greater than we anticipated. That’s why we couldn’t push as we wished,” Carlos Sainz acknowledged after the race. Looking back, Charles Leclerc’s assault on George Russell proved to be a mistake. Nonetheless, Ferrari didn’t anticipate such a sudden tire degradation, which additionally occurred on Carlos Sainz’s automobile, regardless of him managing the tires higher within the early laps.
Ferrari: post-race chaos amongst drivers primarily attributable to communication in want of great revision
This additionally caught Ferrari’s strategists off guard, resulting in confusion—a problem that also arises throughout vital moments. That is an space the place Frederic Vasseur should work extensively to offer Leclerc and Hamilton subsequent yr not solely with a high automobile but in addition with a workforce absolutely outfitted to compete for the championship. “Las Vegas merely demonstrates that on this sport, you must execute every part completely. We’ve completed a superb job by way of technique and race administration all through many of the yr, however at present that wasn’t the case,” Carlos Sainz rightly identified.
Poor race execution and, above all, a scarcity of readability had been on the root of the post-race chaos between the 2 Maranello drivers. It stemmed from unclear communication: Riccardo Adami, Carlos Sainz’s race engineer, instructed his driver to not put stress on Charles Leclerc, whereas Bryan Bozzi, Charles Leclerc’s engineer, initially instructed the Monegasque that Carlos Sainz had been instructed to not overtake him, solely to later appropriate this to “he was instructed to not put you beneath stress.” It’s evident that Riccardo Adami’s instruction to Carlos Sainz was not explicitly to keep away from overtaking, simply as it’s clear that the Spanish driver used his crafty to reap the benefits of the scenario. Using his already-warmed tires and higher traction out of Flip 4, the long run Williams driver shortly overtook his Maranello teammate on the straight with out making use of stress, securing an necessary podium however understandably frightening Charles Leclerc’s anger after the race, as defined by F1 professional Piergiuseppe Donadoni for autoracer
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