After Max Verstappen and the Red Bull RB20 took pole position for the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, leaving a three-tenths gap to the closest pursuer – Charles Leclerc – the rest of the pack remained tight, with a 6-tenths gap from P2 to P8 at the Jeddah street circuit. The performances of Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes were similar, albeit achieved differently, with the SF-24 proving to be the second strongest force and the most balanced car so far. Aston Martin managed to extract the maximum potential from the AMR24 in Qualifying, while McLaren and Mercedes are grappling with some issues limiting the potential of the MCL38 and W15.
Ferrari: A more loaded rear wing to limit losses in S1, relying on the Power Unit
At the beginning of the Jeddah weekend, Ferrari homologated new lower-drag rear wing and beam wing designs with the FIA. The latter was eventually used, while the rear wing was never employed and the medium-load choice used in Bahrain was confirmed. It’s not the first time the Italian side has introduced a new wing without ever using it. The same happened two years ago in Miami with the F1-75, which then used that wing later in Baku. The SF-24 confirmed excellent load characteristics and balance, allowing the Maranello team more freedom in deciding the optimal setup. In the end, a higher aerodynamic load was chosen to compensate for the SF-24’s deficiencies, especially at low speeds compared to Red Bull, improving the car’s behavior, especially in the first sector, thus making it also the fastest car in many of the circuit’s corners.
The setup chosen for the Ferrari SF-24 was ultimately that of a car with higher aerodynamic load, a softer mechanical setup, and a slightly higher ride height than normal to enhance the Ferrari’s handling and agility throughout the Jeddah circuit. In the end, it was decided not even to test the low-drag wing, although Charles was willing to try it, thus finding the right compromise. In Qualifying, a strange feeling with the rear tires did not give the Monegasque the right confidence, especially with new compounds.
It’s a matter of outlap and how the tires are warmed up, explained Frederic Vasseur at the end of the Qualifying session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. A problem that should penalize the SF-24 less in the race, as the Ferrari car has shown to be competitive with used tires.
McLaren suffers from poor efficiency, Mercedes loses in the fast sections, while Aston Martin surprises everyone, but overall no one has Red Bull’s balance. That the RB20 was the reference car in the 2024 Formula 1 championship was unfortunately already understood. The technical balance that the car, born from the minds of Adrian Newey and Pierre Waché, possesses has not been matched by any other team. Here in Jeddah, it was evident that, with a low-drag configuration, the RB20 was among the reference cars both on the straights and in loaded sections, allowing Max Verstappen to secure pole position with more than a 3-tenths advantage over the competition. Sergio Perez also had a good qualifying, losing out only to Charles Leclerc, besides the Dutch world champion. Among the day’s surprises was certainly Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso securing fourth place ahead of the other Mercedes-powered cars.
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The AMR24 opted for a low-drag compromise which, with intensive setup work, allowed the Spaniard to excel also in medium-fast sections, taking advantage of the grip benefit from a new Soft tire which also hides many of the car’s limitations. The setup choices were made mainly with the race in mind to try to improve performances from Bahrain, but also those of the long run carried out in the second free practice session yesterday. Mercedes and McLaren are facing diametrically opposite problems that are causing them issues on the fast Saudi Arabian circuit.
The McLaren MCL38 is unable to deliver the necessary level of grip, despite a not-too-low drag choice that – although supported by a new rear wing supposed to increase efficiency – keeps the Woking team as one of the slowest on the straights where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri continue to lose a clear 5-7 kilometers per hour. Conversely, Mercedes had to choose a low-drag setup to improve the top speed of the W15. Unfortunately, the car continues to show strong rear instability and, especially with minimal ground clearance, has not been able to eliminate the damaging bouncing that would limit the potential of the single-seater, thus forcing a sacrifice of load, with a higher W15 from the ground. A compromise that the two teams are seeking, which for the moment does not pay off in Saudi Arabia and highlights the problems of their 2024 Formula 1 projects.
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