Ferrari SF25 strong in slow corners at Circuit de Catalunya: race pace could be key

In qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Ferrari drivers secured fifth and seventh positions. The setup improved progressively over the course of the Barcelona weekend, minimizing the significant lack of rotation. However, Charles Leclerc’s conservative choice prevented him from fully taking advantage of the track evolution. The arrival of clouds lowered the track temperature by about 4 degrees—a modest but crucial drop in terms of tyre thermal management.

Charles has less confidence than Lewis in medium-speed corners
Data analysis shows that the most critical corners for the Monegasque in Q3 were the medium-speed ones. In particular, Charles Leclerc struggled in Turn 1 and Turn 4, where he suffered from limited rotation compared to Lewis Hamilton. His difficulties may be linked to suboptimal tyre preparation, which forced him into a more cautious approach under braking, bringing less speed into the centre of the corner.

For the seven-time F1 world champion, the most problematic points during the Catalan qualifying session were Turn 5 and Turn 10: marked oversteer in Turn 10 and entry issues in Turn 5. In that section of the track, the Briton varied his braking point across different attempts, only finding a good balance on his final timed lap.

McLaren once again proved superior in generating aerodynamic downforce. The TD018 directive had no impact whatsoever on the performance of the reigning world champions. Oscar Piastri made the difference with a cleaner driving style, especially in the first sector. Although his final time was similar to Lando Norris’s, the latter’s mistakes compromised the thermal stability of the tyres, causing them to overheat.

Looking at an entire section of corners, the Red car showed improvement in the most technical parts. In Turn 5 and in the portion of the track between Turns 10 and 12, Charles Leclerc ranked among the best. Compared to the early races of the season, the Monegasque is now giving more importance to corner exit. This advantage is due to the good mechanical grip at the rear, supported by effective camber recovery provided by the suspension.

Additionally, this combines with the use of “trail throttle,” a technique useful in aiding rotation in slow corners. Max Verstappen performed excellently, although the Dutchman nearly lost third place to George Russell due to understeer that limited the RB21’s competitiveness. Onboard footage shows how Max Verstappen was forced to increase the steering angle to compensate for the lack of rotation.

Red Bull engineers shifted both the mechanical and aerodynamic balances to the rear, aiming to improve thermal management during the race. However, this choice penalised qualifying by making it harder to bring the front tyres up to temperature. George Russell stood out for his clean driving, but lacked sharpness in corners: as shown in the data, the Briton didn’t carry speed through the middle of the turns and struggled with traction.

Ferrari uses hybrid power differently but has more drag than McLaren and Mercedes
Both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli stood out on the straights, making full use of their cars’ low drag, especially on the main straight. McLaren also confirmed its high efficiency and remains by far the most complete car. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc adopted a slightly different hybrid deployment strategy. As often happens, the two Ferrari drivers save energy in the early part of the main straight to favour traction on corner exit.

Moreover, the SF-25 has greater aerodynamic resistance, which limits top speed at the end of the straight. The race looks set to be tricky for both cars, partly due to their starting positions. Even though both drivers have two new sets of medium tyres, dirty air and tyre degradation could pose significant challenges. Fred Vasseur does not share this view and remains upbeat. Same for Lewis, who is particularly optimistic.

It will be crucial to verify whether the Maranello team has found the right race pace balance. The long-run simulation in FP3 was positive but not very telling, due to the low number of laps. It’s possible that the drivers might start on the soft tyre to exploit extra grip in the early phase. Afterwards, it will become clear whether the car’s updates will allow for better management of the medium compound.