In the Italian Grand Prix qualifying, Ferrari failed to place even one car in the top three positions on the grid. The result itself wasn’t terrible, as they were less than a tenth and a half away from pole position, but the disappointment is still there.
The Scuderia could have gifted the fans a third consecutive pole at Monza, but that didn’t happen. Let’s analyze the telemetry to understand what was missing.
The perfect lap doesn’t exist, but…
As we can see from the graph below, Lando Norris’s McLaren has higher aerodynamic downforce than the Ferrari SF-24 cars: this is evident from a lower speed on each straight (highlighted by yellow circles), compensated by a significantly higher speed in medium-to-high-speed corners (highlighted by green circles).
Ferrari misses out: pole position was within reach, here’s what was lacking. Telemetry analysis Comparison of speeds between Norris (orange line), Leclerc (red line), and Sainz (white line) in their best lap in Q3.
However, the major regret for the Maranello team is explained by the following graph: the advantage of the two Ferrari cars in the first sector is enormous, but it fades as the lap progresses.
Additionally, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc bring out the best in the SF-24 alternately, with the Spaniard being extremely competitive in the first sector and the number 16 being faster in the second and third sectors.
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Moreover, according to Charles Leclerc’s own words, he “never managed to solve his problem with the first chicane.”
Had he resolved it, looking at his teammate’s performance in the same section, he could have gained at least a tenth and a half, which would have been enough to secure pole position for today’s Italian Grand Prix. The same applies to Carlos Sainz in other parts of the circuit: if he had matched Charles Leclerc’s times from the Roggia chicane onwards, he would have been on pole for the second year in a row.
Comparing gaps during the lap between Norris (orange line), Leclerc (red line), and Sainz (white line) in their best lap during Q3.
In short, if the laps of the two Ferrari drivers had merged into one perfect lap, a Ferrari would be starting from pole today. While perfection doesn’t exist, the regret of not giving the fans a great joy remains, but the team still has time to make up for it in the race.
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