Scuderia Ferrari didn’t win the Qatar Grand Prix. Nonetheless, the twenty third spherical of the 2024 System 1 championship concluded with a partial smile. The Prancing Horse arrived in Losail with excessive hopes, however they confronted a structure that was not favorable for the SF-24 automobile, because the Arabian circuit that clearly favored McLaren and Crimson Bull. And certainly, the 2 groups proved to be extra technically ready. The Milton Keynes group, to be truthful, struggled to grasp something in the course of the sole observe session. It was a disastrous Friday, with a lackluster qualifying efficiency.
Saturday additionally began poorly, with the four-time System 1 world champion having to accept eighth place, even behind the stunning Haas of German driver Nico Hulkenberg. Then got here the technical “miracle” from the Austrian F1 group: a setup change that reworked the RB20 and allowed the Dutchman to make a distinction. A terrific victory, deserved on the monitor, overcoming the FIA’s unfair penalty and George Russell’s double play. For McLaren, nonetheless, issues went considerably in another way.
The dash race double win advised that securing the constructors’ championship could be a formality. Nonetheless, Sunday’s race execution nullified Woking’s efforts. Oscar Piastri was unfortunate, because the Security Automotive benefited nearly all of the main drivers besides him. As for Lando Norris, as soon as once more, we should criticize the Briton. Lando claims he isn’t silly and is aware of the principles. And we imagine him, in fact. However failing to note the yellow flag is a grave error that ruined his race.
He then carried out a exceptional restoration in simply over 10 laps, reaching tenth place and incomes the extra level for the quickest lap. Nonetheless, his oversight price the British group main the championship far an excessive amount of. This example retains Ferrari’s dream of catching the title alive. But, the Maranello group was not flawless in the course of the Qatari weekend both. Within the first qualifying session, they didn’t make the tires work, and the Dash Race went as we all know. Within the second qualifying session, they sorted out the tire subject, however the outcome was even worse.
Ferrari didn’t have nice optimism for the 300 kilometer distance. They began behind the 2 McLaren vehicles, and the SF-24’s tempo was not adequate to beat the MCL38s on the monitor. Moreover, unhealthy luck struck. We discuss with the sluggish puncture on the entrance left tire of automobile quantity 55. The tire delaminated, forcing Carlos Sainz to drive half a lap very slowly to succeed in the pits. The Spaniard clearly misplaced floor and, as soon as again on monitor, discovered himself in seventh place. For Charles Leclerc, fortuitously, issues went significantly better.
Oscar Piastri made his cease earlier than the Security Automotive got here out, taking the estimated time required for the tire change and pit-lane transit. Charles Leclerc, then again, pitted below double yellow flag circumstances, with a shorter timeframe that allowed him to return to the monitor forward of the Australian. Shortly after, Lando Norris acquired a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, and the Ferrari driver moved as much as second place behind Max Verstappen. From that time on, the Dutchman pulled away, and Charles Leclerc did a fantastic job defending in opposition to Oscar Piastri, who stayed shut till the end line. A second place that’s value its weight in gold.
At this level, a query about technique arises: might Ferrari have achieved extra tactically? Was there an opportunity to intention for victory? Let’s make clear. There was an choice Ferrari thought-about however in the end discarded. Charles Leclerc, with the Security Automotive on monitor, might have made one other cease to change to medium tires when the group was pressured to cross by means of the pit-lane to permit the marshals to wash the monitor. In truth, in accordance with the rules, the quantity 16 SF-24 automobile might have stopped at that second.
Furthermore, analyzing the GPS knowledge concerning the drivers’ monitor positions, Charles Leclerc might have maintained his place over Oscar Piastri. Observing the hole between them, it’s clear that the Monegasque had a margin of over 5 seconds as soon as the pit-limiter was activated at 80 kilometers per hour. Contemplating a median cease time of about 2.5 seconds, the Monegasque driver might have switched to mediums, having already fulfilled the requirement to make use of a special compound. This might have allowed him to deal with the ultimate 21 laps with a softer, extra performance-oriented tire by way of tempo.
Chatting with the media, Ferrari group principal Frederic Vasseur clarified that Ferrari’s pit wall thought-about this chance. Nonetheless, the distant storage deemed it extra acceptable to remain on the hards, a choice shared by the remainder of the grid aside from Fernando Alonso, who, regardless of being on mediums, was unable to realize positions on monitor. This alternative had a transparent rationale: giving Charles’ automobile the yellow-marked Pirelli tires for the ultimate stint of the Qatar Grand Prix would have required further care to activate the tires, necessitating a sluggish introduction.
Laborious compounds have a wider working window. This implies they might be pushed tougher straight away with out worry of shortening their lifespan. With mediums, the chance of doing so was very excessive, probably disrupting temperatures and failing to stop graining from setting in. Based mostly on the info, contemplating the Dash Race and the primary stint of Sunday’s race, Ferrari needed to perform substantial tire administration on a number of corners of the monitor in the course of the first ten laps earlier than step by step decreasing lap instances.
Such a state of affairs would have severely challenged the Ferrari driver, considerably growing the probability of being overtaken by Oscar Piastri and subsequently shedding contact with the Australian within the following laps, in addition to with Max Verstappen, with out then with the ability to capitalize on the additional grip of the mediums on the finish. For that reason, we “absolve” Ferrari and we’re additionally satisfied that on this case, the Maranello pit wall made the suitable determination to proceed on the Laborious tires. A method that may have appeared conservative or defensive however one which was, in actuality, the right transfer. In any case, they secured a podium end in second place, which was removed from assured earlier than the beginning of the race in Lusail.
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