Optimism combined with a dose of realism. That’s how the primary day of apply in Abu Dhabi for Ferrari might 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 typically delivers flashes of brilliance on a single lap. Nevertheless, the important thing focus for the Prancing Horse this weekend isn’t general 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 perfect be aware, with Charles Leclerc’s automotive 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 apply session to make method for Arthur Leclerc, complying with the rule requiring groups to permit a rookie to drive in two FP1 periods per season.
Carlos Sainz, nonetheless, believes this didn’t weigh closely on him, as he felt he shortly discovered his rhythm with the automotive: “Sure, I solely had one session, however I’m pleased with how shortly I acquired on top of things. By the second lap, I already had the perfect time. That’s excellent news as a result of it means I belief the automotive and know the right way to drive it,” the Spaniard stated 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 periods at Yas Marina means the information gathered is much less related in comparison with different tracks.
Nevertheless, as Carlos Sainz identified, when the SF-24 switched to gentle tires on a cooler monitor within the night, the acquainted points which have plagued Ferrari all through the season started to floor. These points stop the automotive from excelling on a single lap. Leclerc wasn’t even capable of set a aggressive lap because of site visitors interfering with tire preparation, leaving Carlos Sainz’s time as the one significant reference.
“Then, with the gentle tires, we had some issues. I feel we’re nonetheless not capable of extract all of the efficiency. As all the time, when the monitor cools and we mount the gentle tires, our automotive appears to wrestle a bit extra,” the Spaniard added. He emphasised, nonetheless, that if Ferrari can discover some enhancements, the hole to McLaren might be diminished by about half from the present five-tenths.
“Most likely 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 recuperate 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 combat with them.”
Carlos Sainz isn’t stunned that McLaren is aggressive right here. Final 12 months, they fell brief within the decisive moments, missing Ferrari’s tempo, however this season, the automotive has made vital strides, particularly in gradual sections the place they struggled prior to now.
“I’m not stunned by the hole as a result of this has all the time been a monitor the place McLaren performs effectively, and Lando has typically been very aggressive right here. For the time being, they appear to be the strongest this weekend, so beating them will likely be a tricky activity.”
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