Monza, Azerbaijan, and Singapore. Before the summer break, Frederic Vasseur did not hide that this trio of races could see Ferrari fighting for a good result: so far, there has been a win and a second place, and now at Marina Bay, Ferrari is raising its sights and aiming to fight for top positions.
These ambitions are also validated by what was seen on Friday, with an SF-24 that was well-balanced and fast overall on a track that will need to be carefully watched, given that rain will continue to wash away the rubber laid down by the cars during free practice.
While Charles Leclerc managed to be extremely fast from the very start, Carlos Sainz had a bit more difficulty finding the pace compared to his teammate, with a gap of around four-tenths to the Monegasque. The interesting point is that much of this disadvantage stems from a few specific corners, such as turn 8, the braking at turn 13, where the two Ferrari drivers tried different lines today, and the last section leading onto the final straight.
For the rest of the lap, however, the gap does not seem to be as wide, a sign that the Spaniard needs to work on a few specific sectors, with the impression that there are also some differences in braking and tire management when searching for lap time.
Carlos Sainz also complained about brake issues during the day: a problem that occurred in Baku as well, where he was given a new set for FP2, but it’s not unusual to hear Ferrari drivers complain about their feeling with the brakes.
“This year has been a bit of a problem for our team, which has encountered some brake issues mainly on Fridays, and today it was my turn to face these difficulties. I had some sort of inconsistency in brake behavior throughout FP2, we had a lot of issues out there that make it hard to have confidence and prepare for the weekend,” said Carlos Sainz during interviews, explaining what happened.
“When we don’t have these issues and when we put together clean laps, we are quite fast. So, it’s not something that worries me, if we manage to get everything together,” added the Spaniard, before emphasizing how the car has the potential to fight for top results during the rest of the weekend. The main rival at the moment is clearly McLaren, and more specifically, Lando Norris, who has shown to be the fastest among the two “papaya” drivers.
“I think we have a strong enough car to be in the fight with Lando, who is very fast, and I think Red Bull and Mercedes have yet to show what they are capable of. So, I think we’re in for another interesting weekend,” added the Ferrari driver at the end of the Friday practice sessions for the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay street circuit.
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