As Max Verstappen has had the 2024 Components 1 drivers’ championship sewn up for almost two weeks, the one aggressive curiosity on this Abu Dhabi season finale centres on which of McLaren or Ferrari will wrap up the constructors’ title.
That’s aside from the early thoughts video games photographs of doable 2025 title contenders Verstappen and George Russell…
However within the rather more significant combat, it’s firmly benefit McLaren – forward by 21 factors anyway – after two observe classes from the Yas Marina monitor on Friday.
The story of the day
As soon as once more right here the opening observe session was dominated by rookies – with 5 newbies becoming a member of Liam Lawson (a particular case in himself given his 2023 race appearances), Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan (additionally with particular circumstances) because the ‘common’ first-timers.
The opening one-hour session was bittersweet for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc main the way in which with a 1m24.321s within the unrepresentative sunny working.
He obtained to affix his brother on monitor for a slice of F1 world championship historical past as the primary siblings to drive for a similar crew in a GP weekend session (Argentina 1971 and the Fittipaldi brothers turning out for Lotus not counting due its non-championship standing).
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However the elder Leclerc had missed the opening half of FP1 attributable to a problem along with his automobile’s battery, with Ferrari swiftly revealing this had wanted to be modified and so he’ll now should take a 10-place grid drop for wherever he qualifies forward of Sunday’s race. Already, it was benefit even additional to McLaren within the constructors’ battle.
Looming engine penalty for Leclerc factors to a troublesome problem for Ferrari to grab the constructors’ championship
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs
The orange crew’s fortunes within the early trade of this remaining scrap obtained even higher when it dominated FP2, whereas Ferrari comparatively struggled – this as ordinary the one observe session that issues given its comparable twilight setting to the race and night-time qualifying.
Norris led just about all through in FP2 – bar just a few seconds when he was headed by team-mate Oscar Piastri throughout their qualifying simulation efforts – and ended up high with a 1m23.517s.
Qatar winner Verstappen, in the meantime, struggled so badly with understeer on his Crimson Bull he trailed Sergio Perez on each one-lap and race tempo.
The long-run race simulations that closed FP2 introduced additional excellent news for McLaren, as Piastri’s common laptime got here in at 0.312s faster than the most effective Ferrari might handle
At Ferrari, Leclerc’s FP2 qualifying simulation was spoiled by visitors on his first stab, with Carlos Sainz ending fourth – 0.582s down on Norris and behind the interloping Nico Hulkenberg. Haas put its soon-to-be former driver’s high-profile end result right down to hitting the sweetspot on the tyre problem right here.
FP2 total order
Pos
Driver
Group
Time
Hole
1
Norris
McLaren
1m23.517s
2
Hulkenberg
Haas
1m23.979s
+0.462s
3
Sainz
Ferrari
1m24.099s
+0.582s
4
Hamilton
Mercedes
1m24.119s
+0.602s
5
Bottas
Sauber
1m24.230s
+0.713s
6
Albon
Williams
1m24.269s
+0.752s
7
Tsunoda
RB
1m24.497s
+0.980s
8
Gasly
Alpine
1m24.517s
+1.000s
9
Perez
Crimson Bull
1m24.555s
+1.038s
10
Alonso
Aston Martin
1m24.574s
+1.057s
What the info tells us
The long-run race simulations that closed FP2 introduced additional excellent news for McLaren, as Piastri’s common lap time got here in at 0.312s faster than the most effective Ferrari might handle, courtesy of Leclerc. However of the 4 frontrunning groups, the chasing constructors’ championship challenger was eclipsed by its rivals at Crimson Bull and significantly Mercedes too.
McLaren additionally confirmed robust long-run tempo on mediums throughout FP2
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photographs
Because the desk beneath exhibits, Lewis Hamilton led the way in which with a median of 1m29.505s, with Piastri 0.147s slower. Subsequent up for Crimson Bull, Perez’s greatest (0.067s faster on common than Verstappen managed on the identical mediums as these additionally on the Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes automobiles) was 0.276s down on Hamilton.
When it comes to stint lengths – the place the same old FP2 caveats relating to gasoline masses should be remembered for one remaining time this yr – Crimson Bull and Ferrari did the longest to set these averages, with 12 and 13 every for Perez and Leclerc. Each Hamilton and Piastri had been fuelled for at the least the 9 laps they accomplished in clocking these averages.
Medium long-run averages
Pos
Group
Common time
1
Mercedes
1m29.505s
2
McLaren
1m29.652s
3
Crimson Bull
1m29.781s
4
Ferrari
1m29.964s
Norris insists “I do not suppose the others turned up their engines but”, with the problem as ever across the Yas Marina monitor to try to maintain the softs in good condition for the tyre-torturing off-camber left-handers across the W lodge in sector three.
Thus far, whatever the traditional FP2 engine mode settings caveat or not, it appears the MCL38 is dealing with this problem higher than any of the remainder.
“It would look wonderful for now, however I believe we’re nonetheless gonna have a troublesome combat tomorrow,” Norris added, relentlessly real looking as ever.
Given the way it fired its rubber up so properly within the cool Las Vegas situations to dominate there, it’s hardly shocking to see Mercedes W15 wrestle with this. Russell, on his qualifying simulation effort, was struggling to remain inside monitor limits on the remaining nook because the softs cried sufficient.
Encouragingly for Crimson Bull, it’s price remembering the way it additionally began off the 2023 weekend right here lacking its desired steadiness sweetspot on the all-conquering RB19. Ultimately, Verstappen dominated the race to increase his profitable Abu Dhabi streak to 4 races since his walk-off win in 2020.
Protecting the softs alive for the ultimate sector appeared a troublesome ask for Mercedes
Photograph by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Photographs
As in Qatar, Crimson Bull insiders recommend it’s presently struggling to search out the RB20’s slim greatest working window with its early set-up decisions on journey top stage. That Verstappen is complaining so vocally in regards to the entrance finish suggests it’s additionally not nearly hitting the tyre temperature window for the Dutchman’s squad. Nevertheless, the crew feels it has much less work to do to enhance its steadiness in comparison with per week in the past.
“Simply not linked steadiness from entry to mid-corner,” Verstappen defined. “And that makes it then tough to mainly push. That is one thing that now we have to work on in a single day.”
Ferrari, it appears, can be struggling to date with firing the softs up, quite than preserving them alive. Sainz claimed “we’re nonetheless not extracting all the efficiency” as “at all times when the monitor drops in temperature and after we put the mushy tyres on, our automobile appears to wrestle a bit extra”.
“McLaren has at all times been fast right here up to now. It is at all times been a monitor for McLaren but in addition, Lando has been very fast in Abu Dhabi earlier than” Carlos Sainz
The overtaking problem thwarted Ferrari in Fernando Alonso’s ambitions to win the drivers’ title right here for the Scuderia 14 years in the past – when his race engineer was Andrea Stella, who’s now McLaren crew principal – though the DRS didn’t exist on the time.
And if it fails to go McLaren in qualifying – with Leclerc’s battery-change grid penalty piling on the strain – it should appear to be a particularly lengthy shot for a primary championship of any form for Ferrari since 2008. No surprise its temper to date is downbeat, with McLaren seemingly on target to assert its first constructors’ crown since 1998.
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“McLaren has at all times been fast right here up to now,” concluded Sainz. “It is at all times been a monitor for McLaren but in addition, Lando has been very fast in Abu Dhabi earlier than.
“I believe they’re at all times going to be a tough crew to beat for the time being, [but] they give the impression of being the strongest this weekend. So, it is gonna be a troublesome ask to beat them.”
Can Ferrari flip the tables on McLaren in qualifying to offer itself half an opportunity?
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Components 1
Ferrari
McLaren
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