In the mini F1 race on Saturday in Austria, Ferrari recovered some positions. Charles Leclerc skillfully took advantage of the start and overtook three cars, including Checo Perez’s Red Bull. Sainz had also overtaken Russell, but during the race, he had to give the position back to the Mercedes driver. It’s a real pity because, according to performance analysis, the two SF-24s could potentially have beaten the Silver Arrows. However, temperature issues with brakes and tires made the mission impossible.
Setup, this word has literally driven Ferrari crazy in recent weeks. Since the technicians installed updates on the SF-24 cars, it seems they have had a problem correlating the simulator with the track. The car can no longer perform well with the factory-prepared setup. This is an issue that needs to be resolved to find the lost working point of the car. It’s not an evolution but rather a lack of understanding of the car with the updates onboard.
The two Ferrari cars hit the track for the first run with new Soft Pirelli tires. The first attempt for the Ferrari drivers is good, even though there’s some traffic. While Charles Leclerc decides not to touch the front wing to change the front-end load level, Carlos Sainz prefers a small adjustment. He requests a bit more downforce at the front to balance the car further. In the Ferrari garage, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc quickly check the telemetry to see where to improve the handling.
Spielberg always shows high asphalt temperatures above 40 degrees. This means the tire hysteresis cycle must be perfectly managed to activate the tires and maintain the correct operating temperature throughout the lap, especially in the last few corners of the third sector. During the outlap, Riccardo Adami suggests Carlos Sainz take less apex in turn 4, while Bryan Bozzi asks Charles Leclerc to move the brake balance one point to the front for turn 3.
Undoubtedly, the handling of the SF-24s seems improved. Comparing the two Ferrari drivers, we can say that the Spaniard has a less aggressive driving style and therefore is more precise than his teammate, gaining about two and a half tenths in the first and second sectors. In the third sector, Charles Leclerc recovers some time. It seems that the Ferrari setup adjustment might work, as understeer persists but isn’t as invasive as in previous sessions. We await serious action.
For Q2, it’s serious business. The engine revs of the 066/12 will increase. Unfortunately, aerodynamic efficiency, Ferrari’s enemy, must be considered. The SF-24 has higher drag levels compared to Red Bull and McLaren, limiting its speed performance when the engine maps are pushed. Everything is ready to hit the Spielberg asphalt for this second part of qualifying, which will give the first answers on Ferrari’s setup changes.
For a more precise on-board analysis, we can say that in the first sector of the track, the all-red F1 cars still struggle to manage mid-corner stability when accelerating. Excess rotation remains. This effect also appeared in turn 7, but in Charles Leclerc’s case, it could partly be due to a suboptimal trajectory. Turn 4 shows slightly better performance from both Italian cars.
It’s time to race again. Both Ferraris leave the garage, both on used red-banded tires. The outlap is carefully managed for maximum performance. The track position seems good. Therefore, in the final corners, they switch to push mode and go for it. Carlos Sainz isn’t too happy with his performance in T2, especially in turn 7, where a mistake cost him precious time. On the contrary, his teammate completes a clean lap this time.
After a short break, they return to the track, now benefiting from the extra grip of new red-banded Pirelli tires. We’ll see how much the SF-24s’ grip and performance improve. The Ferrari drivers significantly lower their previous times, although the gap to Verstappen remains over five-tenths. There’s a lot of discussion about the front-end load to perfectly balance the Ferrari and optimize performance.
Another short break and back on track, but only Charles Leclerc this time, who has marked a time that keeps him completely calm. Charles switches to race mode for his final Q2 attempt. As expected, Charles Leclerc lifts off in turn 1 since there was no need to finish the lap once the competitors behind weren’t improving their times. This cut is done, and they proceed to Q3.
The final part of the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix qualifying has arrived, and it’s time to get serious. Every small detail will make a difference, considering that Ferrari’s goal remains to improve yesterday’s qualifying result. The Ferrari drivers’ talent must shine to maximize performance. Here we go, it’s time. The Monegasque leaves the Austrian pit lane on the used Soft tires from Q2, where he aborted the lap.
Conversely, the Spanish Ferrari driver hits the track on a brand new set of Softs. Carlos Sainz fails to complete a clean lap. Oversteer limits him in T1, and particularly between the second and third sectors, he is forced into a significant correction due to high-speed instability, ruining his lap time. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, this time much sharper than his teammate, completes a good lap that earns him a provisional fourth place behind George Russell.
The two Ferraris wait in the garage until the last possible second to maximize the track’s rubbering. Charles complains about the pit-lane traffic, not wanting to lose the chance to complete his lap as he did yesterday. Both are on new Soft tires again. Carlos Sainz’s lap is once again imperfect but this time, despite the mistakes, he manages a respectable performance, just over a tenth behind the McLaren.
However, Charles Leclerc fails to do so. Starting well in the first sector, the Monegasque goes too wide in turn 4. The racing line is far from ideal, and the lost time weighs heavily. Trying to recover, Charles Leclerc overdoes it in turn 2, making another mistake by putting the right-side wheels off the track, then making another major error in the third sector at the crucial moment. Summarizing this session, some improvements were seen. Nonetheless, the cornering instability due to oversteer remains a chronic problem.
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