Ferrari SF24: why Lando Norris was faster than Charles Leclerc in final stages of Mexican GP. Mexico GP: Ferrari had a slower pace on the Hard compound than McLaren.

Ferrari has done it again. Another win that means a lot in Formula 1, considering that the McLaren team was a very tough opponent in the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, unlike in the United States Grand Prix. Who knows what could have happened if Lando Norris had qualified higher or, in the early stages of the race at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, had not been slowed down by Max Verstappen and could have fully exploited the potential of MCL38 car. Fortunately for Ferrari, the British driver could not perform at his best, and Carlos Sainz, executing a flawless weekend, fully deserves this second win of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Charles Leclerc also gave his best. The Monegasque could have undoubtedly done more, but the weekend did not start well, and throughout the three days on track, he never fully found the right feeling with his SF24 car. He finished third, which is good enough, as Ferrari overtakes Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship and closes in on McLaren, which is no longer so far ahead. We are talking about a 29-point gap, which, with four races remaining and two Sprint Races, is no longer just a dream. The Prancing Horse optimized its performance in the Mexican Grand Prix, which is exactly what it wanted to achieve. Chapeau.

At the start, the entire front group chose the medium tire. The fastest strategy, according to simulations, was to start on this compound and then switch to the Hard. The Soft was ruled out, as it was expected to create too many temperature management issues and make a one-stop strategy harder. The race opened with a Turn 1 incident that brought out a Safety Car, to which no one reacted. As mentioned earlier, the main strategy was a single stop, so they aimed to extend the first stint. Therefore, pitting immediately would have offered no advantage.

Carlos Sainz lost his position to Max Verstappen at the start, but Ferrari’s superior straight-line speed made the difference, and the Spaniard quickly regained the lead at the first corner braking zone. On Saturday, we saw Ferrari dominate all the straight sections of the track. After passing the Dutchman and Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc followed his Maranello teammate and focused on building a safe gap with him. The team radio messages confirmed that both drivers were pushing to the maximum in this phase, with Charles Leclerc instructed to manage his tires better in high-speed corners.

Throughout the Mexican weekend, Ferrari opted to use a lower downforce wing. They started with the Monaco specification, then switched to the medium-high downforce Barcelona specification. The Maranello technicians and engineers sacrificed some downforce, considering that average speeds in sector 2 would drop during the race, requiring less load. However, they needed to manage tire wear in the second sector to avoid excessive sliding. Around lap 22, Charles Leclerc was instructed to cool his tire surface, but the Monegasque driver replied that he could not do it at that moment, while Carlos Sainz was managing better.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris was informed that the race was following Plan A—one stop, extending the first stint as much as possible. He was reassured that his tire wear was in line with Ferrari’s, and he was also told that tire graining was less than anticipated. McLaren’s focus was on competing with Ferrari, even with Max Verstappen in between them. Since the Red Bull driver had a 10-second penalty, an immediate overtake was not necessary.

Max Verstappen’s medium tires, however, were more worn. The world champion was struggling significantly, and his team decided to pit him, especially as he received a second 10-second penalty. This gave Lando Norris clear air to push, with Charles Leclerc maintaining a 6.5-second lead. The two Ferrari drivers were repeatedly instructed to continue “lifting and coasting” to extend tire life. However, they paid little attention to the pit wall, suspecting their teammate wasn’t following the same orders.

At this point, Lando Norris reported that his front-left tire was done, so he was called to the pits on lap 30, as could be seen by analyzing the telemetry data after the race. Charles Leclerc followed on lap 32 to switch to Hards. The Monegasque driver was brought in first, but there was no risk of an undercut on his Maranello teammate, as there was a nine-second gap between them. Shortly after, it was Carlos Sainz’s turn, who initially wanted to extend his stint by two laps. Nevertheless, he switched to the white-banded Pirellis and rejoined without losing the gap he had on Charles Leclerc.

In the first laps of the second stint on Hards, Max Verstappen complained of braking grip issues, which his teammate also pointed out as their main limitation. The situation didn’t improve as the stint continued. Carlos Sainz could ease into the tires and reach times under 21.0 within about five laps. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc didn’t have this chance, as Lando Norris pushed hard immediately. By stopping early, the British driver gained approximately three seconds on the Ferrari driver, with both drivers reaching sub-21.0 attack times.

Charles Leclerc was told to drop the lift and coast and start pushing harder. As a result, Carlos Sainz was also allowed to increase his pace, raising his minimum speed in fast corners. The Spaniard was informed that a faster pace in Sector 2 would also improve tire performance. Degradation reduces the flexible portion of the tire, requiring more time to warm it up. This is an issue primarily affecting the front axle and applies across the grid.

Overall, Ferrari had a slower pace on the Hard compound than McLaren, particularly with Charles Leclerc, who needed a slower introduction. Lando Norris applied significant pressure on him in the final stages of the Mexican Grand Prix, forcing a mistake. At that point, Charles Leclerc’s only option was to pit for the fastest lap, taking advantage of the free stop. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, just had to manage his lead over Lando to the finish line. McLaren unfortunately gained significantly on the harder tires, and without Max Verstappen’s hold-up in the first stint, they had the pace to win and beat Ferrari.