The one-two end within the qualifying session for the Dash confirms McLaren’s superiority on extra technical tracks, at the very least over a single lap. The values in play relating to race tempo stay unknown, forward of a Dash race which takes place right now on the 4.309-kilometre Autodromo Jose Carlos Tempo in Brazil, the place rumors counsel that tire degradation can be so excessive as to push for using laborious tires. The third and fifth positions of the 2 Ferrari drivers subsequently develop into a invaluable outcome for the Maranello staff, which, regardless of current progress, has not but totally addressed a continual weak spot of the Prancing Horse.
Barcelona, Budapest, Zandvoort, and now Interlagos. On tracks characterised by sluggish and particularly lengthy hairpins, McLaren confirms itself because the queen of the hairpins, specifically the most effective automobile on the grid. Within the medium-to-high downforce setup, the MCL38 single-seater demonstrates the best ranges of effectivity, boasting wonderful stability within the mid-corner section, a lot envied by the competitors. After the missteps in the US Grand Prix on the Austin circuit and in Mexico Metropolis, the Woking staff arrives in Brazil with a aggressive setup from the very first laps of the weekend.
The numerous uncertainties of the São Paulo monitor are usually not sufficient to destabilize the staff, beginning with the whole resurfacing of the circuit. As predicted, the lowered roughness of the monitor floor lowers the extent of mechanical grip, which is expounded to the tire penetrating the asphalt grains, whereas growing adhesive grip related to chemical bonds to the tire floor. As a result of a really darkish coloration that heats the monitor floor shortly, groups and drivers quickly uncover that the rear axle is the limiting issue, making it very troublesome to handle traction phases.
Nonetheless, what troubles virtually everybody are the quite a few bumps on the monitor, with Ferrari staff principal Frederic Vasseur not hesitating to name the circuit the bumpiest of the whole 2024 System 1 season. That is no small variable, forcing groups to boost the automobiles and soften the suspensions. None of this appears to hassle the Woking staff, additional confirming that even the aerodynamic improve package deal introduced between Austin and Mexico Metropolis has not compromised the stability and drivability of the automobile. For McLaren, the Sao Paulo weekend begins with the most effective circumstances.
As anticipated, Ferrari on the defensive this weekend. “The place we struggled essentially the most is within the sluggish, lengthy corners. We’re working to have a greater automobile in these corners, and I feel we now have seen good steps ahead in current races.” These phrases from Charles Leclerc are usually not from Brazil, however date again to his feedback final June concerning the lately accomplished Spanish Grand Prix. In São Paulo, Ferrari suffers from what has been a weak spot of the Prancing Horse for the reason that starting of the yr, inherited from earlier tasks. The SF-24 lacks stability in lengthy cornering phases, a facet that turns into significantly penalizing in Brazil in curves like 8, 9, and 10.
But, even on this space, the Prancing Horse’s progress is noticeable. On the Zandvoort circuit and in Budapest, Ferrari was trailing by 0.9 and 0.45 seconds in qualifying behind McLaren, a spot that on Friday at São Paulo dropped to only 0.25 seconds, solely partly justified by the shorter monitor. Beneath these circumstances, Scuderia Ferrari limits the injury, ready to see if the updates promised for Qatar may even deal with this weak spot.
The very best information for Ferrari is the satisfaction of each drivers with the automobile’s stability. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are actually desirous to see if the SF-24 will affirm the development from current races, hoping for higher competitiveness within the race than in qualifying. It’s unimaginable to attract conclusions about race tempo from the one free observe session which came about yesterday at Interlagos, given the various variations within the groups’ work packages. The Dash, subsequently, stays an enormous query mark. Some groups may even sacrifice the brief race, operating it on a softer compound and saving the more durable tires for Sunday, though rain may have an effect on the principle race.
The information of the weekend is the alternative of the sixth inside combustion unit of the season on Max Verstappen’s Crimson Bull, leading to a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. It’s placing that over the previous three years, Honda’s energy models had been among the many most dependable, but they now appear to be essentially the most fragile. This commentary fuels doubts concerning the excessive packaging and distinctive bodywork designed by Crimson Bull for the 2024 System 1 automobile, the place efficiency good points might have come at the price of reliability.
The penalty can be served in Sunday’s race, permitting the world champion to learn from his second-row begin in Saturday’s Dash qualifying. Nonetheless, the fourth place mustn’t deceive anybody relating to the RB20’s potential, as Max Verstappen himself acknowledged. In qualifying, the grip from contemporary tires masks the automobile’s limitations, which all resurface within the race, impacting tire efficiency. The Crimson Bull stays too unpredictable for Sergio Perez, who was eradicated in Q2 with out obvious profit from the chassis alternative.
Mercedes achieved solely sixth with George Russell, who lastly has the up to date Austin flooring. The W15 stays removed from competing for prime positions, with Lewis Hamilton additionally lacking the highest 10. In Brazil, the Silver Arrows undergo primarily from the monitor floor irregularities, a problem that already troubled the staff on Austin’s bumpy circuit. Forward of the Brazilian weekend, Andrew Shovlin famous that Mercedes’s goal is to make use of the final races to experiment in preparation for the 2025 System 1 marketing campaign.
Aston Martin fares worse, with each Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso eradicated in Q1. The Silverstone staff is looking for solutions, even resorting to utilizing a flooring relationship again to final Could. It looks like ages in the past when the British staff was combating instantly with Ferrari and McLaren, now with one behind the grid and the opposite two contending for the constructors’ championship.
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