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. Nevertheless, there have been uncertainties linked to the ambient temperatures. “There are two components at play for us: the favorable observe 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 stability out and who comes out on prime 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 attain third and fourth place within the Las Vegas Grand Prix. In accordance with the Maranello workforce, this end result may have been higher with improved execution throughout the race, as each drivers may need been in a position to contend for second and third place with Lewis Hamilton.
It’s equally clear that, in Las Vegas, the SF-24 was the second-best automotive on observe. Nonetheless, graining unexpectedly hampered the Italian automotive, to the purpose the place Charles Leclerc in contrast the issues skilled within the last kilometers on the yellow tires to these brought on by 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. Nevertheless, Ferrari didn’t anticipate such a sudden tire degradation, which additionally occurred on Carlos Sainz’s automotive, regardless of him managing the tires higher within the early laps.
Ferrari: post-race chaos amongst drivers primarily brought on by communication in want of great revision
This additionally caught Ferrari’s strategists off guard, resulting in confusion—a difficulty that also arises throughout essential moments. That is an space the place Frederic Vasseur should work extensively to supply Leclerc and Hamilton subsequent yr not solely with a prime automotive but additionally with a workforce absolutely outfitted to compete for the championship. “Las Vegas merely demonstrates that on this sport, you need to execute every thing completely. We’ve completed a wonderful job when it comes to technique and race administration all through many of the yr, however in the present day that wasn’t the case,” Carlos Sainz rightly identified.
Poor race execution and, above all, an absence 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 advised the Monegasque that Carlos Sainz had been instructed to not overtake him, solely to later appropriate this to “he was advised to not put you below 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 essential podium however understandably frightening Charles Leclerc’s anger after the race, as defined by F1 skilled Piergiuseppe Donadoni for autoracer
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