Azerbaijan GP: handling and excellent front-end warm-up, key factors in Charles Leclerc’s Baku pole. Baku: Ferrari made a significant step forward since the last free practice session.

In qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari made a significant step forward since the last free practice session, a progress that greatly contributed to today’s great pole position secured by Charles Leclerc. Several factors made this highly anticipated but by no means certain result possible. Compared to yesterday, the Maranello team further softened the suspension setup, increasing grip in the slow corners of the second sector, where the Monegasque driver set the best intermediate time, also thanks to an incredible feeling with his SF-24.

Although Ferrari lost some performance in the first sector compared to yesterday, this adjustment allowed the Maranello technicians to find a better balance between the different cornering speeds, achieving the right performance across the three different sectors of the Azerbaijan circuit. From a handling perspective, the new suspension setup gave the drivers much more confidence, especially to Charles Leclerc, who could get closer to the walls and establish a deeper “relationship” with the barriers, as well as the rest of the track, driving in an extremely precise and clean manner.

This improvement in confidence translated into more aggressive and controlled driving, allowing the Monegasque driver to fully exploit the potential of the SF-24. Another crucial element was tire management. Ferrari was able to warm up the front axle better than its main rivals, solving one of the common issues among teams, namely the difficulty in synchronizing the temperature between the two axles. This advantage in thermal management provided greater stability and performance, allowing Charles Leclerc to maximize the potential of the SF-24 during the qualifying session at the 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit.

One of the main problems limiting Mercedes in Baku was their difficulty in properly heating the front tires, a crucial aspect for being competitive on this circuit. In their case, the rear axle reached temperature more quickly than the front, which instead required a longer and more challenging warm-up. To compensate, the team led by Toto Wolff tried to increase the rear temperatures, but this led to overheating, creating a vicious cycle where they couldn’t keep all four tires in the right thermal window for most of the lap.

Attempts to complete faster outlaps to improve the warm-up were often hampered by traffic on track, worsening the situation. Furthermore, the driver’s sensitivity in managing the front tire warm-up phase played a key role, but overall, as mentioned, Mercedes couldn’t find an effective solution. In terms of dynamics, the W15 showed an increasing degree of oversteer during the lap, with the rear becoming less stable, especially in the third sector, where the rear lost grip noticeably.

This factor negatively impacted the drivers’ confidence in the car, reducing their ability to push to the limit in the final stages of the lap. As we can observe from the telemetry data related to the micro-sectors from Q3, the W15 remains the fastest in high-speed sections. Charles Leclerc complained to the team about not being properly positioned on track during qualifying, which prevented him from benefiting from a slipstream. This “game” had been tested during free practice and could have further benefited Ferrari if executed perfectly.

From the micro-sectors, it is also clear that Ferrari demonstrated remarkable efficiency in the 90-degree corners of the first sector and during braking, especially in the first corner. In the middle sector, Ferrari competed on equal terms with Red Bull, which we will now discuss. The RB20 had potential in the middle section but couldn’t fully exploit it. Charles Leclerc took advantage of this situation, also benefiting from greater consistency compared to the Austrian car.

At Red Bull, intense work was done during the last free practice session to improve the balance of the RB20, a recurring issue with the car. Although the base setup was solid and had reduced the disconnection between the front and rear axles, the Milton Keynes team sought to further fine-tune the balance between the front and rear. Modifications were made to the front ride height, with adjustments to the suspension arm length, and the front suspension stiffness might have been altered to improve stability.

During qualifying, Max Verstappen reported braking issues, with a tendency for the front wheels to lock up as they reached the apex of the corner due to insufficient grip and lightening of the front load. Additionally, the RB20 showed excessive oversteer on corner exit, a condition that affected the Dutchman’s confidence. As a result, Max Verstappen struggled to get close to the walls, limiting his potential in some sectors of the circuit.

The world champion also complained about inconsistency in the car’s performance. During the various runs put together by the Red Bull driver, the feel of the car was good in one stint, but in the next, with the same type of compound, the sensations worsened. On the radio, he also mentioned bouncing, which could indicate some porpoising during the lap. This issue could be related to the new floor, which features a different design in the kick area. It’s an interesting topic on which we will conduct an analysis.

Finally, the much-favored McLaren. The Woking technicians were unable to optimize the package at their disposal. The papaya-colored car had good handling and excellent traction, excelling in the exit phases of the second sector. However, the blame must be shared between the team and the drivers. Oscar Piastri had a very scrappy lap in the final Q3 attempt, while the team couldn’t provide the best compromise for the Azerbaijan track, showing difficulty adapting to the track conditions.