Optimism blended with a dose of realism. That’s how the primary day of observe in Abu Dhabi for Ferrari could possibly 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 usually delivers flashes of brilliance on a single lap. Nonetheless, the important thing focus for the Prancing Horse this weekend isn’t total 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 most effective be aware, with Charles Leclerc’s automobile requiring a battery change, leading to a ten-place grid penalty. On the opposite facet of the storage, Carlos Sainz needed to sit out the primary observe session to make manner for Arthur Leclerc, complying with the rule requiring groups to permit a rookie to drive in two FP1 periods per season.
Carlos Sainz, nevertheless, believes this didn’t weigh closely on him, as he felt he rapidly discovered his rhythm with the automobile: “Sure, I solely had one session, however I’m proud of how rapidly I obtained in control. By the second lap, I already had the most effective time. That’s excellent news as a result of it means I belief the automobile and know the right way to drive it,” the Spaniard stated on the finish of the day. Moreover, whereas FP1 is normally useful for an preliminary have 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.
Nonetheless, as Carlos Sainz identified, when the SF-24 switched to comfortable tires on a cooler monitor within the night, the acquainted points which have plagued Ferrari all through the season started to floor. These points forestall the automobile from excelling on a single lap. Leclerc wasn’t even in a position to set a aggressive lap resulting from site visitors interfering with tire preparation, leaving Carlos Sainz’s time as the one significant reference.
“Then, with the comfortable tires, we had some issues. I believe we’re nonetheless not in a position to extract all of the efficiency. As all the time, when the monitor cools and we mount the comfortable tires, our automobile appears to battle a bit extra,” the Spaniard added. He emphasised, nevertheless, that if Ferrari can discover some enhancements, the hole to McLaren could possibly be lowered by about half from the present five-tenths.
“In all probability 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 get well 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 struggle with them.”
Carlos Sainz isn’t stunned that McLaren is aggressive right here. Final yr, they fell quick within the decisive moments, missing Ferrari’s tempo, however this season, the automobile has made important strides, particularly in gradual sections the place they struggled up 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 properly, and Lando has usually been very aggressive right here. In the meanwhile, they appear to be the strongest this weekend, so beating them shall be a troublesome process.”
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