Ferrari claims its first podium of the 2025 Method 1 season with Charles Leclerc. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix partially smiles on the Monegasque driver, who delivered a superb first stint due to excellent administration of the yellow tyre. This allowed him to increase the opening section of the race and be much less conservative with the white tyre on the finish, the place he might push with out an excessive amount of concern.
The winner was Oscar Piastri, who beat a too-aggressive Max Verstappen at Flip 1. The Dutchman’s purpose was clear: take the lead instantly after which set his personal tempo, as he did within the Japanese Grand Prix. Nevertheless, this chance solely existed within the first stint, since after serving his penalty, the four-time Method 1 world champion was not in a position to overtake the Australian.
Wanting on the first section of the race, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc had related tempo on the entrance. The Monegasque driver managed his tyres intelligently, adopting a conservative strategy and lapping barely slower than the three leaders. In doing so, he managed tyre temperatures, prevented rear overheating, additionally thanks to wash air, and prolonged the primary stint.
At this stage, Charles Leclerc laid the inspiration for Ferrari’s first podium of the 2025 Method 1 championship. Within the last a part of the stint, the Monegasque was lapping within the excessive 1.33s, a tempo just like that of his rivals who had already pitted. Lewis Hamilton, however, had a tougher first section, being caught in visitors. The Brit struggled greater than his Maranello teammate in managing rear temperatures.
Moreover, within the battle with Lando Norris, he misplaced round 5 seconds of tempo whereas “enjoying” with the McLaren driver to get DRS. This combat additionally wore out the tyres of the seven-time Method 1 world champion, forcing him into an early cease. Wanting on the telemetry knowledge associated to tire degradation, Lewis Hamilton started to lose tempo after lap 17, because the British driver was not in a position to extract grip from the tyres of his SF-25 single-seater.
Lando Norris, in contrast, after overtaking Lewis Hamilton, was in a position to execute his technique within the McLaren due to the clear air forward, lapping at occasions just like Charles Leclerc’s. Even the race leaders had been scuffling with rear thermal administration. Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell had been the one ones to indicate an actual drop in tyre efficiency.
The Dutchman constructed up barely a two-second benefit, an inadequate margin to remain forward of the Australian after the penalty. Nevertheless, it’s fascinating to notice that the Pink Bull driver was extra constant in lap occasions throughout the early laps, benefiting from nice pace on the finish of the straight. The Australian, in contrast, had a extra fluctuating tempo, making an attempt to shut in on his opponent whereas additionally managing tread temperature.
Within the second stint, Lando Norris on yellow tyres and Charles Leclerc, who had prolonged the primary section, had been the quickest on monitor. Even within the second a part of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race, the Monegasque driver confirmed the good progress Ferrari had made in tyre administration. Regardless of being barely slower than Lando Norris, the Ferrari driver had nearly zero tyre put on, overtaking George Russell with relative ease.
Mercedes, with each drivers, was unable to maximise the W16 automotive’s efficiency within the race which was held on the 6.174-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit final Sunday. Each George Russell and Kimi Antonelli repeatedly complained concerning the lack of grip. They had been, on common, the slowest among the many high groups within the second stint. Particularly, George Russell was unable to handle the tyre efficiency drop, additionally as a consequence of defending towards Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen, in the meantime, by no means maintained a clearly quicker tempo than Oscar Piastri that might have allowed an overtake. The Australian was in a position to management the hole to the four-time Method 1 world champion, who solely closed in close to the top of the race, however not sufficient to try an assault.
Ferrari has discovered the important thing to constructing race tempo to match its rivals with Charles Leclerc. Nevertheless, because the Monegasque himself said post-race, the Italian aspect nonetheless struggles to extract a great degree of downforce by way of qualifying tempo, which is proving to be missing. The Maranello workforce nonetheless has to make compromises, selecting, no less than till the subsequent updates, to sacrifice qualifying efficiency in favour of race tempo.
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