Sainz - Leclerc - Verstappen, FP1 telemetry analysis and long run laptimes in Barcelona

Finally, the Barcelona weekend begins, one of the key moments of the Formula One season from a technical standpoint (a “turning point” to use an English term). And indeed, in the first session, there was very little focus on performance and a great deal of work from all teams, resulting in a somewhat mixed classification, except for the top two positions.

Red Bull on the perfect track for the RB19
Great confirmations were not needed, but the Red Bull duo, especially Max Verstappen, have dispelled any possible doubts right from the start that they are not only the favorites for the entire weekend but also seemingly with a significant advantage. The Dutchman outpaced his teammate by almost 8 tenths of a second on a flying lap, making virtually a single attempt on soft tires before focusing on race pace. A good performance from Sergio Perez will probably be enough for him to get closer to Max Verstappen and distance himself from the rest of the pack.

It’s hard to imagine a better track for Adrian Newey’s car: high-speed corners that require a lot of aerodynamic load, crucial tire management due to the strong lateral accelerations, and important straights where aerodynamic efficiency counts. The only aspect that somewhat reduces the gap is that the track is very smooth and even, allowing all teams to try extreme setups in terms of ride height (minimal for everyone) and suspension package stiffness (maximum for everyone). Verstappen’s superiority and that of his Red Bull also emerged in the race pace simulation, with the Dutchman completing a 12-lap stint on soft tires, consistently setting times within the same tenth of a second and even improving in the final laps. In short, the battle for the top two positions seems completely closed for now, as expected beforehand.

Ferrari conducts comparative tests, especially useful in race conditions
The new version of the SF-23 made its debut on the Montmelo track, featuring significant aerodynamic updates, including new side pods and a new floor, which were installed on Carlos Sainz’s car during the first session. The drivers had previously stated that they didn’t expect major leaps forward in pure performance, but that the updates were aimed at expanding the car’s operating window to fully exploit its potential over broader phases of the weekend, rather than just on a single flying lap on Saturdays. The track’s response, both in terms of the program and the data, is in line with what was announced. Ferrari focused heavily on comparative testing with a medium fuel load, followed by a few attempts at quick laps towards the end of the session, although they didn’t push too hard in many aspects. formulapassion.it compared the data of the two Ferrari drivers, comparing it to Max Verstappen’s lap to have an initial reference for the weekend.

Ongoing work at Ferrari, involving updates and balance
In the first sector, we can see that Max Verstappen makes a big difference in the exit of turn 2 and through turn 3, where the greater load and stability of his car allow him to be much more effective, barely lifting off the accelerator, unlike Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who have to lift off much more. The World Champion also flies through turn 9 and turn 14, lifting off less than anyone else for now, confirming the phenomenal grip of his car. As for the Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz seems to have slightly more load and a slightly more stable rear end in terms of traction and grip in the early corners compared to Charles Leclerc.

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The Monegasque driver is slightly faster than his teammate in the corners below 150 km/h, such as turns 4, 5, and 10, while the Spaniard responds with increased rear-end grip in the fast turn 9 but struggles a bit in turn 12 and the final corner. The impression is that the more stable rear end of the “new” SF23 has put a bit more strain on the front, which requires a bit more load to be balanced. This is absolutely normal, as the significant changes brought to the track by the Maranello team will need a few sessions to find the ideal balance with the new aerodynamic maps that the car now generates. Therefore, there’s no alarming signal, just ongoing work. It’s difficult to assess the potential at this point. The car seems to have something more in the new version, but we’re in the realm of impressions, as we haven’t received any objective feedback from the track yet. The two Ferrari drivers conducted a mini-long run simulation, consisting of only 3 laps, at the end of the session, and the times seemed interesting, especially for Carlos Sainz.

However, these data remain of little relevance given the length of the stint. On the other hand, the incredible simulation by Verstappen, mentioned earlier, is noticeable. Therefore, it will be very interesting to see the times from the race simulations in the second practice session, where Ferrari and Mercedes, in search of answers, will not hold back much.