Scuderia Ferrari has sought its usual compromise. In Formula 1, when resources are limited, there’s not much else that can be done. This kind of trade-off, depending on the car’s characteristics combined with those of the track, can perform better or worse. This is somewhat the current situation for the Italian side until significant aerodynamic updates arrive. In short, there is suffering while waiting for the changes to the SF-24 that are already in production to be introduced on track. The timing is known: September, when the Maranello team will fit several new components on the Italian car in the hope of finding those three-four tenths missing to once again challenge McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull for race victories.
In the meantime, optimization is required, a term that always plays a primary role in Formula 1. Right now, Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes are performing better. These three technical projects have far fewer uncertainties for their respective engineers. The Prancing Horse has acknowledged that the issues it is facing have been understood. However, there is no mathematical certainty that these problems will be resolved, which complicates the current campaign even further. The sad truth is that the 2024 Formula 1 championship could have still been a golden opportunity for the Italian side to become a contender for the titles.
Regarding the Dutch Grand Prix, unfortunately the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort has never been favorable to Ferrari. Thinking it could be different at this moment was quite ambitious. On the first day of free practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, many things went wrong. Notably, Carlos Sainz’s withdrawal during FP2 due to a transmission problem with car number 55 halted his work schedule. The Maranello team had already decided to focus entirely on qualifying. Hence, Charles Leclerc, the only “survivor” during the 30 minutes of the second free practice, concentrated efforts on data collection.
The setup developed in the simulator for the car is not optimal. But not much more could be done with limited resources. The decision to move the center of pressure forward arises from the need to unload the rear to reduce drag. Ferrari believes that this configuration will prevent being overtaken during the race. Therefore, the focus is on the performance in the qualifying session to start in a good position and maintain it throughout the race. However, it remains to be seen what will happen, as the weather conditions for the 15th round of 2024 Formula 1 campaign are far from favorable.
Now let’s take a detailed look at how things unfolded for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in FP3. It has been raining and continues to rain at Zandvoort. This means that whoever can maximize performance on a wet track will gain significant advantages. In Ferrari’s garage, everything is ready, waiting only for the green flag for this last session before qualifying. Carlos Sainz goes out first with a set of full wet tires. His Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami asks him to use the same brake settings as in the second free practice session, while the car remains set to position GX3. A few laps before returning to the pit lane, where he performs a practice start in second gear.
Immediately after, Carlos Sainz goes for another very slow lap to test the car and see if the problems have been resolved. It seems so, as everything is working as it should. A few minutes later, both Ferrari cars return to the track. This time, they are using green-band Pirelli intermediate tires. However, even before completing half a lap, a red flag is shown due to Logan Sargeant’s crash at turn 4. All cars return to the garage while the marshals fix the track to resume action.
The repair of the barriers is quite lengthy, as the damage from the American driver’s crash is significant. This means that the free practice session is running out of time, just as conditions had improved, with no rain and the sun peeking through at Zandvoort. This is bad news for Ferrari, as Carlos Sainz has not yet been able to fully evaluate the car. FP3 resumes with 3 minutes left in the session, and all cars go out to make the most of every available second.
The traffic is so heavy that confusion reigns supreme. The two Ferrari cars are on intermediate tires, trying to complete a timed lap. The goal here is not so much to set a good time but to understand how the car behaves on a wet track. In his attempt, Charles Leclerc is even forced to battle with two cars, while Carlos Sainz faces less traffic. After this “collective madness,” they move on to practice starts on the grid. The Monegasque provides some data.
He mentions the front wing, which was not properly set up to balance the load with the rear of the SF-24 during his push lap. Finally, Ferrari heads into qualifying somewhat blind, as it was unable to validate the setup changes developed overnight in the simulator. We will have to wait and see how the car performs in the upcoming qualifying session, which, surprisingly, is expected to take place without rain, with the track gradually drying out.
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