The Brazilian Sprint Race did not go well for Ferrari. In Formula 1, there are many, too many factors that contribute to performance. In the only stint of the 100-kilometer mini-race, at the 4.309-kilometre Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, the red car was reasonably strong overall. Unfortunately, however, the temperature issue once again played a nasty trick on the Maranello team. From lap 13, besides the usual tire management, avoiding pushing too hard in certain corners, Charles Leclerc was forced to perform lift and coast. On the main straights, this was too risky, as the Red Bull RB20 of Max Verstappen was glued to the rear of car number 16.
The Monegasque driver therefore implemented this strategy in other parts of the track. The result? The pace slowed, and the three-time Formula 1 world champion was able to successfully attempt an overtaking move. Carlos Sainz suffered from roughly the same issues, including a shared difficulty between the two SF-24 cars in tackling turn 1. We can say it’s a shame, as until the car management became critical, Charles Leclerc was keeping up with the McLaren single-seaters without too many problems. Thus, we arrive at the second qualifying session of the weekend, this time counting for Sunday’s race.
However, the weather conditions were far from agreeable. A torrential downpour hit Interlagos. This was not unexpected. On the contrary, in this area of Brazil and this season, thunderstorms are a common occurrence. The International Federation did everything possible to try to let the cars hit the track. It was not possible, however, as the rain offered no respite. As a result, the FIA had two options: hold qualifying tomorrow morning or use the first free practice session or Sprint Race results to set up the starting grid. Late in the evening we got confirmation of when that postponed qualifying session would start, but there was some unexpected additional news. The start of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself, which was originally scheduled for 5 pm, has been moved forward to 3.30 pm. That’s due to fears that the worst of the tomorrow’s weather is going to come later in the day. Qualifying will be at 10.30 am UK time – a late breakfast treat for F1 fans.
Following the Sprint Race, the opportunity to fine-tune the setup of the Ferrari SF-24 arose. Ferrari’s engineers made some adjustments to the setup, aiming to optimize the car’s balance in qualifying laps and, at the same time, address tire management issues during long runs. Changing the setup of F1 cars blindly is risky, but it was necessary to address some shortcomings of the Ferrari based on the data collected in the Sprint race. The Maranello technicians and engineers primarily focused on the suspension systems to seek a good aero-mechanical compromise.
One of the main issues concerns the high-speed curves, such as turn 6 on the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo. This is a very fast bend where stability is essential to give the driver confidence, keep the pedal down, and optimize mid-corner speed. In this distinctive section, Ferrari still has room for improvement, as Red Bull and especially McLaren manage to achieve much better performance thanks to consistent downforce, which makes the aerodynamic platform more stable. There is also another part of the track that the Italian car was not fond of.
In this case, we are talking about the first sector of Interlagos. Both in qualifying with low fuel on a flying lap and in the race with a high fuel load, the SF-24 showed some difficulty at the “Senna S”. Although the Maranello car is probably the best in the pack when braking, it could not fully exploit this strength without creating instability at the center of the very fast “S”. In both scenarios considered, an appropriate adjustment to suspension stiffness should improve Ferrari’s performance. This is the goal of the F1 team based in Maranello.
It is expected to rain tomorrow as well so weather conditions are expected to once again be unfavorable. It is often assumed that in such cases, a Formula 1 team would evaluate the situation and prepare a wet setup. However, that approach no longer applies. When teams know that the conditions will likely be wet or rainy, there are not any specific setups to adopt.
The only real focus is on tire management. This means addressing the warm-up process of the Pirelli compounds, during which the tire heats up and reaches its optimal temperature. In these cases, tire activation is crucial, and teams, in addition to usual warm-up strategies, adjust the brake ducts differently. The goal is to use brake air intakes that help bring the tires to temperature and keep them as stable as possible. This includes adjusting the rear brake mappings — the “RB”, namely real brake command for Ferrari — for the same purpose.
According to the latest reports in the Italian media, the Ferrari technicians and engineers believe that these adjustments could allow the red cars to take a competitive step forward tomorrow in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Let’s not forget that the goal of the historic Italian team is to fight until the end for the 2024 Formula 1 constructors’ championship. To keep this hope alive, they will need to compete closely with McLaren, which remains the favorite at the Interlagos circuit. Additionally, Max Verstappen seems to be in excellent form here, and holding him back will be just as important. All of this with the reminder that rain could be an element making the race unpredictable.
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