It was a strong showing for Scuderia Ferrari in the first two free practice sessions at the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia, with Charles Leclerc finishing the day in fourth place, three-tenths behind an impressive Fernando Alonso, who seemed to excel on the fast circuit, at least in terms of qualifying simulation. What was more convincing, however, was the long run performance demonstrated by the Monégasque driver, with the SF-24 showing minimal degradation during the final stint of FP2 on soft tires.
Charles Leclerc, Positive Feelings After FP2
“We need to switch to qualifying configuration, optimize the package we have, and take a step forward from Bahrain,” comments the Monégasque.
When asked about the chances of fighting for pole position tomorrow: “I don’t know, it’s hard to say, but my bet right now is yes.”
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“The circuit offered a good level of grip almost immediately. We can also expect significant track evolution tomorrow. There are many of us with very close times. It will be interesting to see who can extract the maximum from their car and find the edge to get ahead of everyone.” – the Ferrari driver pointed out.
Despite expectations of a configuration change regarding the rear wing, Ferrari has decided to keep the medium-load specification seen in Bahrain, even if the top speeds recorded were not too affected compared to direct rivals.
It is possible that the Maranello technicians wanted to collect as much data as possible ahead of the third and final free practice session tomorrow, with other teams opting for a significantly lighter configuration, considering the characteristics of the circuit.
Source: f1ingenerale
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