In the final session of qualifying for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles went out on used Softs, setting a 1’24”145 before pitting for a new set of Softs. He did two warm-up laps and posted an excellent 1’23”265 which was good enough for fourth fastest. It means that, at 3pm tomorrow, he will start the Turkish Grand Prix from third on the grid, as Lewis Hamilton will be moved to 11th after the penalty is applied. Carlos stayed in the garage after a few runs in Q1, well aware that he will have to start the race at Istanbul Park from the back of the grid.
Analyzing the overall performance of the Maranello team on Saturday, for Scuderia Ferrari it was a difficult qualifying session, but ultimately very good also thanks to the skill and talent of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver once again showed his great abilities to set a strong lap time at the ideal moment, scoring an impressive fourth place on track. The Maranello team’s technicians decided to use the setup tested on the track yesterday, with a low downforce set-up given the presence of the rear spoon wing. A choice dictated in part also by the deficit of horsespower which still exists as compared to Ferrari’s rivals, which are very important on a track like Istanbul Park.
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That being said, the combination of a low downforce configuration set-up and the new hybrid system has given good feedback on the straights of the Turkish circuit. Without forgetting the invaluable help during Carlos Sainz’s last attempt in Q2, useful for gaining a few more kilometers per hour. Although on a treacherous track with wet and slippery asphalt like today, a few more downforce points would have been handy especially in the first sector, the goal of hitting a good time was undoubtedly achieved.
Despite the fact that Charles Leclerc complained about the last sector of the track claiming to suffer from a lack of rear grip, in fact, the lap time recorded in T3 was even better than Max Verstappen’s and slightly slower than that of Lewis Hamilton.
Specifically, the driver from Monaco found an excellent starting point in the distance of turn 8. A sector that allowed him to improve and grab the position against an excellent Gasly. It remains to be seen, looking at the race, how this somewhat atypical configuration will work. In underlining the skill of the Ferrari pitwall in hitting the aims set before qualifying in a brilliant way, we must however consider a very specific fact.
The layout of Istanbul Park is quite demanding in terms of degradation and in the current state of things the choice to race on Sunday by decreasing the vertical thrust of the Italian car could, in theory, create some problems in the management of the compounds. We therefore just have to wait for tomorrow to understand how the SF21 car of Charles Leclerc will behave during the sixteenth round of the 2021 F1 world championship.
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