Optimism combined with a dose of realism. That’s how the primary day of observe in Abu Dhabi for Ferrari may very well be summed up, listening to Carlos Sainz. The Ferrari driver’s emotions are higher than the stopwatch suggests.
The Spaniard wrapped up the final Friday of the season in fourth place, behind the “shock” Nico Hulkenberg, who usually delivers flashes of brilliance on a single lap. Nonetheless, the important thing focus for the Prancing Horse this weekend isn’t total efficiency however the comparability with McLaren, their rival within the Constructors’ Championship battle.
Ferrari goes all-in at Abu Dhabi, however sadly, the weekend didn’t begin on the very best notice, with Charles Leclerc’s automobile requiring a battery change, leading to a ten-place grid penalty. On the opposite aspect of the storage, Carlos Sainz needed to sit out the primary observe session to make manner for Arthur Leclerc, complying with the rule requiring groups to permit a rookie to drive in two FP1 classes per season.
Carlos Sainz, nevertheless, believes this didn’t weigh closely on him, as he felt he shortly discovered his rhythm with the automobile: “Sure, I solely had one session, however I’m proud of how shortly I bought up to the mark. By the second lap, I already had the very best time. That’s excellent news as a result of it means I belief the automobile and know the way to drive it,” the Spaniard mentioned on the finish of the day. Moreover, whereas FP1 is often useful for an preliminary take a look at the setup, the numerous temperature distinction between afternoon and night classes at Yas Marina means the information gathered is much less related in comparison with different tracks.
Nonetheless, as Carlos Sainz identified, when the SF-24 switched to mushy tires on a cooler observe within the night, the acquainted points which have plagued Ferrari all through the season started to floor. These points forestall the automobile from excelling on a single lap. Leclerc wasn’t even capable of set a aggressive lap resulting from visitors interfering with tire preparation, leaving Carlos Sainz’s time as the one significant reference.
“Then, with the mushy tires, we had some issues. I feel we’re nonetheless not capable of extract all of the efficiency. As all the time, when the observe cools and we mount the mushy tires, our automobile appears to battle a bit extra,” the Spaniard added. He emphasised, nevertheless, that if Ferrari can discover some enhancements, the hole to McLaren may very well be diminished by about half from the present five-tenths.
“In all probability we’re not half a second behind McLaren, however at the least two or three tenths. That’s one thing we have to attempt to get better by tomorrow. It’s a deficit we additionally carried into the lengthy runs. We have to discover a number of tenths in a single day to be within the struggle with them.”
Carlos Sainz isn’t shocked that McLaren is aggressive right here. Final 12 months, they fell brief within the decisive moments, missing Ferrari’s tempo, however this season, the automobile has made vital strides, particularly in sluggish sections the place they struggled prior to now.
“I’m not shocked by the hole as a result of this has all the time been a observe the place McLaren performs properly, and Lando has usually been very aggressive right here. For the time being, they appear to be the strongest this weekend, so beating them shall be a tricky job.”
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