Scuderia Ferrari started with high hopes of recovering against McLaren in the penultimate round of the 2024 championship. In Formula 1, nothing can be taken for granted, and yesterday’s Qatar Grand Prix, if further proof was needed, underscored this emphatically. All the leading drivers started on the yellow tires, a move aimed at facilitating tire management in the first stint and extending it as much as possible. The goal was indeed to make only one stop. However, they knew how difficult it would be to activate the compounds before the start with only a single preparation lap. At the first Safety Car, no one reacted, as expected.
In the early laps, the top three drivers pushed hard, raising the bar significantly. Max Verstappen was aiming to create a safety gap, with Lando Norris immediately behind, trying to stay within 2 seconds of him. The Dutchman also focused on saving as much tire as possible, particularly conserving the medium compounds in the third sector, hoping to extend the stint. The Red Bull pit wall informed him that he was saving more than the two McLaren cars, prompting him to increase his pace shortly after. During the stint, he experienced slight understeer, similar to what was seen on Saturday at the 5.419-kilometre Lusail International Circuit.
That is why, in the second stint, he agreed to increase the front wing angle—first by one “click,” then by two. Nonetheless, the lack of rotation persisted. On McLaren’s side, the pit wall confirmed to Lando Norris that up to lap 20, the tires were performing as predicted during the weekend simulations. Thus, despite pushing hard, the tires behaved as expected. This was different from Red Bull’s description of Max Verstappen’s situation. Around lap 21, the Dutchman began to reduce tire management, following the pit wall’s orders.
Ferrari focused heavily on managing all four tires lap by lap, working particularly on Turn 12, a corner considered strategic for tire management. Their lap times were significantly slower than McLaren and Red Bull, but they managed to handle temperatures and general degradation well. The two Ferrari drivers stayed close to Oscar Piastri’s McLaren MCL38, using him as a strategic reference. Only in the second part of the stint, as can be observed by analyzing the telemetry data, did Charles Leclerc manage to close in on the Australian driver.
George Russell achieved some temperature stabilization during the stint, but slight oversteer contributed to greater tire wear, compromising thermal performance. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, experienced more front-end graining due to a much more difficult and unbalanced setup on car number 44. George Russell was the first among the leading group to stop. The pit wall frequently requested updates on tire condition. Unless something unusual occurred, drivers responded through the steering wheel.
By lap 30, Ferrari’s tires were in good condition and within the correct operating window. Consequently, they reported via radio that pressures were aligned with optimal target values. They also informed the drivers they were still on Plan A, likely a one-stop strategy. The Medium compound showed a graining phase that needed to be halved to avoid the drop-off phase where grip would diminish. With the Safety Car deployed for debris on the track, the pit-stop window opened. Charles Leclerc changed tires, taking advantage of the situation and passing Oscar Piastri, who had pitted the lap before.
George Russell also struggled, having pitted even earlier, while nearly everyone else halved their pit-stop time. According to the teams’ data, the white-walled tire behaved similarly to the Medium, except during the activation phase. Max Verstappen executed perfect work on the yellow-banded Pirelli tire. With the Hard tires in the second stint, fewer laps were required compared to the Medium, making the one-stop strategy ideal for everyone. However, this compound presented some front-end issues and was quite prone to graining.
The Ferrari SF-24 single-seaters also struggled to find temperature, especially before the restart. The Maranello pit wall suggested maximizing throttle wherever possible. They instructed to go full throttle to generate tire temperature. At the restart after the Safety Car, Charles Leclerc was in trouble, and Oscar Piastri was able to attack him, but the Monegasque drove perfectly, managing to keep him behind. The second Safety Car further complicated maintaining the target on the tires, especially on the fronts. The dashboard showed that temperatures were well below the optimal level.
Ferrari’s second restart was more solid, however, with better use of the electrical component, according to the data from the telemetry analysis. Lando Norris tried to challenge Max Verstappen in the early laps but did not have his tires in the optimal operating window, allowing the Dutchman to build a gap quite easily. The four-time Formula 1 world champion managed the graining phase excellently, even in the first stint. Compliments came from the Red Bull team after analyzing the compound wear. The 10-second penalty for Lando Norris then completely compromised his race, leaving him at the back and providing the Maranello team with the great opportunity to recover a few points and take the battle for the Constructors’ Championship to the final round of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign, which is set to take place next weekend at the 5.281-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island.
Charles Leclerc’s Qatar Grand Prix was entirely about defending against Oscar Piastri to maintain second position. In the final laps, Ferrari matched the Australian’s times up to the finish line. From a strategic perspective, it was a relatively straightforward race. The teams gave absolute priority to tire management, working through several distinct phases. The Italian side approached both compounds well, and this alone made a difference. Charles Leclerc never attempted to closely follow Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, avoiding compromising the tire lifespan.
— see video above —
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