Scuderia Ferrari showed stellar pace in the Free Practice sessions for the 2024 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, yet Carlos Sainz tempers expectations after the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where the Maranello team achieved a great one-two finish one week ago. The SF-24 is flying in Mexico City, and as Charles Leclerc also pointed out, qualifying will be crucial. On this track, overtaking isn’t impossible, but tire degradation—though extremely favorable—won’t be as impactful.
Carlos Sainz’s dream is undoubtedly to score another victory this year. As he prepares to leave at the end of the year for a Williams team that is unlikely to return to competitiveness anytime soon, he hopes to end his Ferrari career on a high note. He himself emphasized that this may be possible in Mexico and in Las Vegas, the final leg of the U.S. triple-header.
The on-track performance of the SF-24 supports the Spaniard’s goal. The Ferrari seen on the track in Mexico City is a car that fears no rivals, at least in race conditions. Its pace appears to be the best among its direct competition, though both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen encountered several issues on Friday at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
“We started FP1 with a good car and setup, and then throughout FP1 and FP2 we worked to fine-tune a few things,” Carlos Sainz told F1.com at the end of Friday practice in Mexico City. “Nothing major, so I’m fairly satisfied with how it all feels. The long runs especially were good. I think qualifying will be a solid challenge against our rivals, and it will be a close battle on the single lap. [The long runs] were very good. I felt very comfortable with the car and the degradation, and this is positive for Sunday, although here race pace matters less than in Austin because overtaking is more difficult.” – the Spanish driver concluded.
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