Q3 telemetry data: Ferrari SF-24 good in medium-speed corners, Red Bull on pole thanks to traction

The Ferrari SF-24 car was not able to challenge Red Bull in the battle for pole position at the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka International Racing Course on Saturday due to its inability to warm up the Pirelli tires. This is the key aspect that emerges after the qualifying session for the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. Conversely, Red Bull secures the front row for the fourth round of the season. For the first time in this championship, Sergio Perez managed to improve his performance in qualifying and will line up alongside the world champion on the front row, exploiting a car clearly superior in a single lap compared to the rest of the competition. The Mexican is just 66 milliseconds behind Max Verstappen, making significant progress relative to his usual performance on a flying lap. However, the RB20 single-seater will need to confirm the front row tomorrow, considering that the race pace did not seem as impressive as usual.

The Maranello team only achieves fourth place with Carlos Sainz and eighth with Charles Leclerc, confirming a setup that is more optimized for the race on Sunday. The red cars respectively suffer a gap of 5 and 6 tenths as compared to the best lap time set by Max Verstappen. The SF-24 car appeared balanced overall, but in the flying lap in Q3, it was not optimal in the first sector of the Suzuka circuit due to an ineffective warm-up strategy. Furthermore, in his only attempt, Charles Leclerc experienced oversteer coming out of turn 11 and made a mistake in the final chicane setup, losing traction towards the final straight.

GP Japan 2024/Telemetry analysis S1: Red Bull optimizes DRS. McLaren good in braking and mid-corner.

Looking specifically at the telemetry data related to the first sector of the Suzuka track, it is noted that in the initial straight, Max has the most efficient drag reduction system, allowing him to gain 2 kilometers per hour on the SF-24 of Carlos Sainz. Lando Norris proves to be the best in braking towards turn 2, delaying the braking point. Max Verstappen is the first to get back on the throttle, and throughout the sector, he manages to constantly anticipate when to accelerate, reaching the highest top speeds throughout the snake section. The world champion is comfortable when it comes to pressing the accelerator with steering angle.

In this way, he makes the difference in the first sector, exploiting the precision in entry provided by the very stable front-end of his RB20 single-seater. Carlos Sainz is forced to tackle the corners more slowly to prevent instability with the SF-24 car. Additionally, the Spaniard uses gas and brake differently from Max Verstappen, preferring a higher average throttle percentage to use the brake and tackle turn 4.

Lando Norris is the best in the mid-corner, making the most of the load generated by his car. From the onboard footage, moreover, the MCL38 number 4 seems to require fewer micro-adjustments during the initial snake section. Carlos Sainz is the best at turn-in as he shows a car more capable at lower speeds. Coming out towards turn 7, however, Max Verstappen is the only one to keep the throttle fully open and consequently gain in that section of the Suzuka track.

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GP Japan 2024/Telemetry analysis S2: Ferrari SF-24 good in flow. Red Bull forced to manage oversteer.

Shifting focus to the telemetry data related to the middle sector, where all types of corners can be found, Red Bull continues to be the best in traction phase. The Austrian team seems to have optimized the performance of the rear suspension, gaining significantly in corner exit. At turn 8, Max Verstappen has the best entry and apex speed. Lando Norris, on the other hand, is very strong throughout the sector in braking phase, delaying the brake input for each corner. Carlos Sainz is faster at the center of turn 9, accelerating simultaneously with the McLaren driver.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, anticipates the apex and sacrifices the entry to have a better-directed car on exit. At the Hairpin, Lando Norris takes a “rounder” trajectory, uses less steering angle, allowing him to achieve the highest minimum speed. The Dutchman, on the contrary, approaches the kerb more closely with a higher steering angle. On exit, due to a more abrupt weight transfer, Max Verstappen is the only one having to control a slight oversteer. However, this aspect doesn’t detract from his better traction.

Carlos Sainz accelerates earlier than Lando Norris, and both reach 100% throttle simultaneously. The SF-24 single-seater seems better in the flow phase towards turn 13, with the Spaniard achieving the highest speed. At the “Spoon,” the McLaren is the most balanced car, with Lando Norris practically having to make no corrections. On corner exit, there were two opposite behaviors from Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen. The Spaniard has to manage oversteer while the Dutchman understeer.

Furthermore, as we can easily observe through the qualifying telemetry data related to throttle and brake, there’s an interesting difference between the Ferrari driver from Spain and the other two other driver under examination in this analysis. The Ferrari driver, who achieves the most efficient speed at the mid-corner, forces the braking more at turn 13 with two throttle peaks between the two corners.

GP Japan 2024/Telemetry analysis S3: Ferrari SF-24 inefficient in traction.

In the final sector of the Suzuka circuit, the Red Bull RB20 shows itself as the most efficient car in the area between the 130R and the last chicane, obtaining the highest two references. Lando Norris maximizes again the braking performance resulting as the fastest, in terms of speed, at the mid-corner. However, by braking later, Lando Norris is forced to be more aggressive on the kerb, not to lose the apex at turn 16 due to higher speeds. Carlos Sainz, in this case, is the most conservative of the three.

In turn 17, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen have a similar trajectory, cutting the corner more than Lando Norris who, by advancing the apex of turn 16, is forced into a wider trajectory and goes on the throttle later towards the final straight. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, press the throttle pedal simultaneously, and the world champion, despite having to control oversteer on exit, produces a more effective acceleration than the Ferrari Spanish driver.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari