The race on the Las Vegas circuit was highly thrilling and left no room for breath. Many pit stops and overtakes were dictated by graining and high tire degradation, especially of the Medium tires in the early part of the race. It was clear from yesterday that we were heading toward such a scenario. With the track rendered “green” by the reopening of the streets to city traffic between Saturday and Sunday and the low temperatures, it was inevitable.
For this reason, we had already predicted a two-stop race rather than a single stop as Pirelli suggested. Teams anticipated this by saving two sets of Hard C3 compound tires. The white tire performed significantly better than the C4. Yet, drivers who opted to use it in the early laps, while initially gaining an advantage over others, had to switch to a two-stop strategy due to graining, which also affected this compound.
We had to wait until the final part of the GP for the hard tire to show its full potential. The track rubbered in, and despite the asphalt temperature of 17°C (the highest of the weekend), drivers managed the C3 much better toward the end. Lap times became competitive and consistent over stints longer than 20 laps.
Strategic Recap
Before addressing Ferrari’s mistakes, let’s briefly review the strategies used by the drivers during the race.
The winning strategy employed by Russell and favored by most was Medium-Hard-Hard, executed by George, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc, Verstappen, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda, Zhou, Stroll, and Lawson. Norris could have finished with the same approach but opted for a third stop to fit Soft tires at the last moment to secure the bonus point for the fastest lap: 1’34’’874, setting a new circuit race record (previously held by Piastri in 2023 with 1’35’’490).
Sergio Perez climbed from P16 to P10 using a Hard-Medium-Hard strategy (perhaps executing the race’s best overtake, passing both Magnussen and Lawson in one move). Colapinto and Bottas also used this tactic. Alonso finished outside the points after choosing S-H-H, forcing an early stop on lap 4. Points might have been possible for the Spaniard had he started on Mediums. Ocon opted for M-H-S, and Magnussen was the only one with a single-stop Medium-Hard strategy. Starting 12th and finishing 12th, the Danish Haas driver couldn’t match Hulkenberg, who, on two stops, scored points and overtook Tsunoda, who had outqualified him on Saturday (Friday in Las Vegas).
The race also saw two retirements due to technical reasons: Gasly and Albon.
Ferrari’s Numerous Errors, a Missing Pit Wall
The SF-24 had the potential to win the race, at least in terms of speed. Leclerc demonstrated this by consistently battling Hamilton for the fastest laps. However, several issues plagued Ferrari’s performance.
The only thing done right was the start. Charles Leclerc overtook Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz immediately, slotting behind Russell. Both Ferraris were virtually on the podium, chasing Mercedes’ #63.
The first mistake came from Charles. The Monegasque driver became overzealous. While he had pace on the Medium C4 tires, he neglected tire management, attempting to attack Russell. On lap 4, during one such attempt, he ran wide, compromising his first stint’s rhythm. From this moment, the tires began losing temperature, leading to graining. Charles lost touch with Russell and faced pressure from Carlos. When the situation became irretrievable, both Sainz and Verstappen overtook him—a scenario Ferrari should have managed better.
The second error came from the pit wall, which delayed Leclerc’s pit stop decision. By the time Charles pitted on lap 10, he was 10 seconds behind Russell.
Even Sainz struggled with Medium tire pace. By lap 9, Russell was still lapping in the low 1’38’’ range, while Sainz managed 1’39’’5, Verstappen 1’39’’0, Leclerc 1’41’’8, and Norris 1’40’’5. The sudden pace drop also affected Carlos, who pitted on lap 11 after lapping at 1’40’’5, gifting more seconds to Russell.
Ferrari failed to intervene as Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc engaged in a battle, costing precious time. Carlos had the upper hand and should have been allowed to chase George.
The second stint was even more complicated. Carlos Sainz pushed hard, while Leclerc adopted a more cautious approach, trailing his teammate. By lap 25, Sainz, Charles, and Hamilton were within 2 seconds. Leclerc, faster than Sainz, wasn’t allowed to pass—another driver management error. Carlos finally let him through on lap 28.
At that moment, Max Verstappen, 2.5 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, pitted. Sainz, struggling with tires, attempted to follow Max but was ordered to stay out after entering the pit lane. Ferrari wasn’t ready for the stop, forcing Carlos into a maneuver the FIA luckily chose not to penalize.
Lewis Hamilton demonstrated that this was the ideal time to stop, taking advantage of fresh Hards to overtake Max and secure second place, finishing 7 seconds behind Russell. Ferrari’s fifth error was failing to replicate this call.
In the final stint, Leclerc was much faster than Carlos Sainz but couldn’t capitalize due to another late stop that left him behind his teammate. Carlos then blocked him again, continuing an unnecessary confrontation. Together, they managed to overtake Verstappen, with Sainz finishing on the podium and Leclerc in fourth.
Ferrari’s performance left the impression that things could have gone much differently. Mercedes was strong, but with fewer errors, Ferrari could have easily secured a double podium or even victory. Instead, the day highlighted the team’s inability to optimize pit stops and driver management.
Christmas Comes Early for Ferrari
It seems Ferrari is already in the Christmas spirit, giving away gifts. McLaren thanks them. Despite lacking pace, losing only 12 points feels like a win, considering Qatar and Abu Dhabi are expected to favor the papaya-colored car’s characteristics.
