The Sprint qualifying for the Chinese GP, which took place this morning to determine the starting grid for the Sprint Race, proved to be nothing short of spectacular and, above all, with an outcome not as expected, as often is happening during this season. A first official session, accompanying the return of Formula One to Shanghai after five years of absence, characterized by extremely variable weather, which brought rain at the start of Q3. This factor, combined with resurfaced asphalt with little grip, scattered the cards and provided excitement, twists, and even controversies regarding the judgment criteria adopted by race stewards to handle drivers’ off-track excursions.
For Scuderia Ferrari, the qualifying session was not particularly straightforward, with Carlos Sainz finishing fifth at the checkered flag and Charles Leclerc only seventh, and an SF-24 that struggled to properly warm up the tires, failing to quickly reach the temperature needed to perform well on a slippery track. For Charles Leclerc, the qualifying session was also complicated by the incident he was involved in at the start of Q3, when he lost control of his car, lightly hitting the barrier and damaging his front wing.
A crash that, in fact, prevented the Monegasque driver from completing three timed laps like his rivals, losing time due to the wing replacement and the feeling that an extra lap would have provided. This incident was commented on by Marc Genè, brand ambassador of the Scuderia, speaking to Sky Sport F1 on the sidelines of the Shanghai qualifying session. According to the Spaniard, this incident heavily penalized Charles Leclerc’s qualifying performance, at least in terms of feeling, since his SF-24 was not damaged and he could continue nonetheless.
“The incident he had at the beginning of the session penalized him. He did fewer laps than the other drivers. He was lucky to be able to continue, but it penalized him a lot.” – he pointed out
Marc Genè then talked about the issue of getting the tires up to temperature with the SF-24: perhaps not a “structural” issue of the car but dictated by some setup choices made, with lighter wings compared to the competition, to maximize the race result.
“It’s simply about finding a mix between having the tire ready in the first sector and at the end. The Ferrari is very fast in the final sector. I think the Ferrari has less downforce than the competitors.” – the Ferrari brand ambassador concluded at the end of the Sprint qualifying session in Shanghai.
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