So far it is a disappointment. The enthusiastic crowd at Imola expected pole position for Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz as the updated Ferrari SF-24 was supposed to make a splash. It seemed like all the conditions were right for a great performance, but not only did the stratospheric Max Verstappen’s Red Bull precede the Ferraris, but both McLaren drivers did too, before Oscar Piastri received a three-place grid penalty which allows the Ferrari men to start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix fron the second row.
In the end it is a cold shower for the Maranello team, considering that Charles Leclerc was furious in his driving, pushing the SF-24 to its absolute limits. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough: Max Verstappen was too fast with the Red Bull, which benefited miraculously from its setup choices compared to the limping first practice sessions on Friday. The car with which the Dutchman set the best time on the grid was perfect, without any flaws or hesitation. He added his talent, and the difference showed, even though now some want to believe he was significantly helped by a slipstream in the first sector. It did happen, it’s true, but not decisively.
Analyzing the times alone, the ‘old’ Ferrari in Miami was a tenth of a second away from pole position, while the updated version at the Imola circuit is two-tenths away with Charles Leclerc and even half a second with Carlos Sainz. This is perplexing, so much so that the Monegasque even said he didn’t understand what was missing, highlighting a new issue with the car: difficulty adapting compared to the Red Bull when tackling the curbs. We are talking about minimal details, imperceptible to the eye.
This is what the qualifying session showed. And the race? While Sergio Perez struggled and starts the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from outside the top ten, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull could make a difference right away, but McLaren is more alive than ever and seems to have worked better than the Maranello team, while until yesterday it had been inconsistent. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are fighters who attack whenever possible and can maintain a very high pace from start to finish. Then there’s Ferrari, which is a question mark in the sense that we don’t know if the latest modifications will make the car more (or less) efficient with the tires. Not even Ferrari knows, but this will be the decisive factor over time. Charles Leclerc will definitely attack if the SF24 allows it, while Carlos Sainz, who has been lackluster so far, knows how to manage the car and himself. The race could still present opportunities for the Italian side, let’s not despair.
For now, Imola pays tribute to Max Verstappen: he struggled in free practice with a Red Bull RB20 that had difficulty assimilating the technical updates, but when it counted, the Dutchman showed how stupendous he is. The world champion took his eighth consecutive pole (seven this year plus the last of the 2023 Formula 1 championship), matching a certain Ayrton Senna. Max Verstappen with a time of 1.14.746 shattered the ground effect car record at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit.
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Max Verstappen was also clever in exploiting a powerful slipstream in the first sector from Nico Hulkenberg, which helped him stay ahead of the McLarens by just a few thousandths. Oscar Piastri is second, 74 thousandths behind the Red Bull driver, indicating that the MCL38 might be the most competitive car at the moment. The Australian risks spoiling the stellar weekend in Emilia because he received a three-position grid penalty due to impeding. His teammate Lando Norris, third and just 91 thousandths behind, is the first to benefit from this.
Max Verstappen will have to deal with McLaren after being beaten by the them in the Miami Grand Prix. Ferrari has somewhat disappointed the expectations of the Prancing Horse fans who were hoping for Charles Leclerc’s pole position based on what was seen on Friday in Imola. The Monegasque with 1.14.970 is two-tenths behind Max Verstappen, while Carlos Sainz is almost five-tenths back. Judging by the starting grid, as everyone knows how important track position is in Imola, one might say that Ferrari SF-24’s update package is not enough to challenge Red Bull and McLaren. It would be a hasty evaluation: the red car, which still does not excel in a single lap manages to shine in the race so there is all to play for. Regarding the fast lap pace, maybe there is something still missing in the lap preparation, a key aspect the Maranello technicians have to thoroughly analyze.
The two Ferrari cars, given the grid penalty received by Oscar Piastri, could find themselves with two cars in the second row: the pace of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in simulations was very good, equal to the McLarens and better than the Red Bull. In Maranello, they were expecting pole position, and in the Prancing Horse’s garage, there’s some understandable disappointment because the SF-24 still suffers from preparation issues that cost something in terms of lap time in the first sector. In front of the red sea of fans, there was a strong desire to give something concrete to the supporters, but points are awarded on Sunday, and the Maranello team seems very competitive.
George Russell came within a thousandth of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, showing that the Englishman managed to extract everything from the W15, finally equipped with a really aggressive power unit map, while Lewis Hamilton didn’t put everything together, ending up eighth with the other Mercedes. The seven-time world champion conceded three-tenths to his younger teammate.
Between the two silver and black arrows, little Yuki Tsunoda slipped in. The Japanese driver brought the Racing Bull to seventh position, although he finished third in free practice, suggesting he could aim for a more prestigious position. To be clear, the Faenza team is having a great home weekend, considering Daniel Ricciardo also finished ninth, showing that the RB VCARB 01 has improved a lot and can aim to be in the Top 10.
Nico Hulkenberg continues to amaze with Haas: the German reached Q3 with only one set of soft tires and was content with making the final cut. The gap with Magnussen is getting wider, and the idea that Ollie Bearman is being trained behind the two main drivers means something.
Sergio Perez did not make it into Q3 with the Red Bull: the Mexican is 11th on the grid, almost certainly affected by the accident in FP3. Checo almost lost his car for the second time at the exit of the Variante Gresini, and the error cost him dearly.
Esteban Ocon settled for 12th position with the best Alpine, while the other Frenchman in the A524 is 15th: a huge gap between the two, over half a second! Lance Stroll struggles with the Aston Martin: the Silverstone team brought an important package of updates that don’t seem to suit the Enzo and Dino Ferrari track. The Canadian is 13th, ahead of Alexander Albon, who is 14th with the Williams: it feels like the Grove team has made a small leap to separate from the back of the grid.
The Saubers had no hope of getting out of Q1: Valtteri Bottas is 16th, followed by Guanyu Zhou. The C44 brought updates, but the positive effect was not seen. Kevin Magnussen is 18th with the Haas, while his teammate Hulkenberg climbed to third overall in Q1. It must be said that the Dane suffered from Oscar Piastri’s impeding, which could ruin his grid position as he is under investigation by the stewards.
Fernando Alonso did poorly with the Aston Martin: the Silverstone team’s mechanics managed to rebuild the AMR24 after the FP3 crash at the second Rivazza corner, but the Spaniard went long at the second Tamburello corner: the “Verdona’s” floor must have been affected, and the Asturian was left out. A negative weekend for Alonso.
