The Sprint format found its perfect moment: a combination of the fantastic characteristics of the Austin track and a phase where the top 4 teams are very close in performance. This led to a highly entertaining and fiercely contested short race, even though Max Verstappen’s first position was never truly under threat. However, much was revealed about the on-track dynamics over the 19 laps on the Texan circuit.
Starting with the winner, Max Verstappen’s return to first place, even if only in a sprint, was certainly a breath of fresh air for both him and his RB20 single-seater. The Milton Keynes car’s performance was convincing, especially in the first sector, where the “snake” proved to be prime hunting ground for the Dutchman, who made the most of the stiffness and responsiveness of his car that has been evident since the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season. In terms of tire management, the Dutchman seemed very comfortable, but it must be noted that he led a somewhat solitary race, even though his rivals were just a couple of seconds behind, while behind him, there was plenty of action with fierce battles lasting several laps among the drivers chasing him.
Ferrari appeared to be the leading force, though qualifying remains a concern. Carlos Sainz finished second behind Max Verstappen with a stunning performance, winning a tough battle with his Maranello teammate. Overall, Ferrari seemed to be the strongest on track, limited only by the qualifying result. They demonstrated race pace and tire degradation on par, if not better, than Max Verstappen’s, despite the many battles Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc faced both against each other and with George Russell and Lando Norris. The weakest point of the SF-24 single-seater appeared to be the “snake” in the first sector, where the car lacked the suspension reactivity needed. However, from turn 11 onward, the Maranello team’s car excelled: traction and braking phases along the longitudinal axis were phenomenal, and in the third sector, with its long and slow corners in the “horseshoe” section, Carlo Sainz and Charles Leclerc drove the best car on track. Aerodynamically, excelling in such long corners signals a concrete step forward in terms of aerodynamic stability (especially at high yaw angles), which was a previously declared weak point for Ferrari before the latest updates. Ultimately, in race conditions, Ferrari could probably aim for victory, but qualifying remains a delicate hurdle, with the soft tire’s movement still being a complicated issue to manage.
Turning to the Woking team, Lando Norris got off to a fantastic start, putting him in second behind the title rival. However, after a strong first phase, Norris showed a noticeable drop-off compared to Verstappen and the Ferraris, likely due to imperfect tire management, with the front tires becoming difficult to handle in the closing laps. The impression is that the new updates brought by Andrea Stella’s team require a modified baseline setup, which the team couldn’t nail down in the only hour of free practice available. It will be interesting to see if and how McLaren adjusts its setups for qualifying, considering the open park conditions and the lessons learned during the sprint. As for Mercedes, it seems the car’s low-downforce setup works well for single-lap performance with the soft tires, but in race pace conditions, the car fell out of its ideal operating window, facing much higher tire degradation than its rivals.
The upcoming qualifying session promises to be particularly intriguing, with plenty of storylines. Red Bull needs to confirm their strength, McLaren must improve their setup balance, and Ferrari needs to minimize their struggles with the soft compound, as their race potential seems capable of delivering strong results.
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