It was a disappointing Ferrari that we witnessed in the sprint qualifying session for the 2024 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc starting only from fifth and seventh positions in tomorrow’s sprint.
It should be noted that the weather conditions and the limited time imposed by the format to find the ideal setup certainly didn’t make things easier for the teams and drivers, with the Shanghai circuit asphalt becoming particularly tricky, especially after the rain arrived.
Many drivers, including Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc himself, struggled to complete a clean lap, with Lando Norris eventually coming out on top, despite controversies over the previously cancelled time.
Interviewed by Sky Sport, Frederic Vasseur analyzed the challenging sprint qualifying for the Prancing Horse: “The conditions were very tricky, with very little grip. We struggled to warm up the tires, but I believe it was the same for everyone.” – the French manager pointed out.
“We need to understand if we can do something different, but it was the first time in these extreme conditions. I think the fact that the asphalt was covered with bitumen didn’t help the drivers at all. We need to learn from this first wet session of the season. I think the weekend will be dry, but it was a good first wet session, especially for learning.” – the Ferrari team boss added.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s sprint, the Frenchman hopes for a different outcome, although race pace remains uncertain for everyone: “It’s a complicated weekend, firstly because we haven’t been here for 5 years now. The asphalt is quite strange, but it’s the same for everyone. This means we need to be faster than others to understand and react.”
“I hope the strategy we’ve adopted so far has been good because we’ve all been a bit in the dark. We need to learn from what we did today even though we didn’t do many laps. However, we hope they’re enough to make a good decision tonight and be ready for a good fight tomorrow.” – the Frenchman continued.
Finally, regarding the possible strategy for tomorrow, Fred Vasseur explained: “We’ll need to choose the tire compound well, also because it could be a starting point for Sunday. As mentioned before, we have the advantage of still having a set of new mediums for tomorrow, while the others will have to use used mediums at the start. It can be an advantage for tomorrow but it can also be the best preparation for Sunday where the most points are awarded, so we need to focus on that. From the beginning of the weekend, we’ve prioritized Sunday, and we don’t want to change that.” – Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur concluded at the end of the sprint qualifying session in China.
Source: f1ingenerale
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