Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was left pissed off after qualifying seventh for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, two locations and two tenths of a second behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The duo will line up for the race fifth and seventh, cut up by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who had his personal causes to lament being within the again half of the highest 10.
Learn Additionally:
Though Leclerc topped Friday’s single free observe session, Ferrari was conscious its automobile didn’t swimsuit the traits of the Qatar monitor. The Scuderia has been slipping again relative to its nearest rivals ever since and, regardless of an encouraging factors haul in Saturday’s dash race, hit what Sainz described as a “laborious restrict” on lap time it doesn’t matter what set-up levers it tried to tug on each automobiles.
“It simply looks like our steadiness, our through-corner steadiness, our general load within the automobile in these lengthy mixed fifth-sixth gear corners, it does not appear to be performing in addition to it ought to,” he stated.
“I feel we have tried all the things doable with a smooth tyre to modify it on higher: sooner, slower out-lap, something you possibly can think about – and we simply merely appear to be discovering a little bit of a tough restrict with the lap time that we might produce, in notably with Charles, with the brand new ground, and in addition me with a little bit of a tougher session than yesterday. However I feel it’s what it’s.”
The traits of the Losail monitor – a clean, closed floor with predominantly quick, linked corners requiring the drivers to take a number of kerb – mixed with cooler temperatures at the moment of 12 months had been anticipated to not favour the Ferrari. The absence of nook varieties requiring laborious acceleration additionally makes it tough to get the tyres on each axles into the fitting working window on the proper time.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Pictures
Having complained about low grip ranges within the dash, the place Sainz and Leclerc completed fourth and fifth, Ferrari made additional set-up modifications forward of qualifying.
“We undoubtedly tried fairly a couple of issues,” stated Sainz. “Each on set-up and tyre preparation. It simply did not appear to alter our elementary points. I feel whenever you’re speaking about tyre preparation, you are speaking concerning the final tenth.
“Whenever you lack three or 4 tenths and also you see all of the medium-speed corners, you are simply missing minimal speeds and a little bit of through-corner steadiness. And also you notice that perhaps simply it is not fairly in there, no?”
Though the Ferraris achieved what was most likely their very best end result within the dash race, Leclerc’s 1m20.8s lap in qualifying afterward Saturday night was additional away from pole than Sainz had been from the entrance of the grid within the dash, the place he began fourth.
“Thus far, I feel we have maximized all the things [in terms of points from the weekend],” stated Sainz. “I ought to have certified P6 as a substitute of P7.
“I went into the final lap of Q3 and not using a automobile in entrance, so no tow. I do not know why we had been main the pack, and that is usually a few tenths within the straights totally free. We most likely missed a bit on that.
“On the identical time, the 20.8 of Charles is the 20.8 that the automobile can roughly obtain. So yeah, up to now, I feel we’re maximising all the things – however maximising all the things may not be sufficient.”
Learn Additionally:
McLaren’s 1-2 within the dash race places the workforce 30 factors forward of Ferrari within the constructors’ championship with simply two grands prix to go.
“We simply want to complete forward of them and independently of the place. After all it is good for us if they do not win P1 and P2 – however even when they end P3 and P4 and forward of us, it is nonetheless gonna be virtually Mission Not possible in Abu Dhabi.”
On this article
Stuart Codling
Method 1
Carlos Sainz
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e-mail updates on these subjects
Subscribe to information alerts
