Ferrari seems to be serious in Texas at the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas. Round number 19 of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, where the Maranello team arrived looking lively. The Austin weekend features the special Sprint Race format. In the only free practice session, the SF-24 performed well. The base setup studied in the simulator appeared good, and after the first run, it was fine-tuned to further improve the handling of the Italian car. The setup work on the Hard tires provided guidance to optimize the car’s working point. There was also a mini long run, where confirmation came with a heavy fuel load.
In the final part of the first free practice session for the United States Grand Prix, both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc tested the red-banded Pirelli Soft tires. With these Soft tires, Ferrari set the two fastest times of FP1. Carlos Sainz, quicker by 21 thousandths, showed a very clean driving style, while Charles Leclerc, as often happens on Fridays, worked more to find the limits of his car. At this point, it’s really difficult to gauge the true performance of the Ferrari SF-24 single-seater, especially considering that Red Bull and McLaren, as has happened in the past, might be holding back.
This is why we eagerly awaited the Sprint Shootout, which was expected to reveal whether the Prancing Horse is capable of fighting for pole. In this, the role of the compounds was once again crucial, particularly the activation through the warm up process in order to provide maximum grip. The SF-24 hopes to definitively validate its latest updates, confirming the quality leap seen in the last three races of the 2024 Formula 1 season, which preceded F1’s long autumn break.
Now let’s take a detailed look at how things unfolded for the two Ferrari drivers in the sprint qualifying session for the United States GP Sprint race. Everything is ready for the start of the sprint qualifying, we are just waiting for the green light.
The Ferrari drivers are in their cars. The usual checks have already been carried out: power unit, transmission, braking system, and hybrid system. As the two Ferrari cars prepare to hit the star-spangled track once again, let’s take a look at the weather conditions: air temperature at 28.4 degrees celsius, track temperature at 35.8 degrees celsius, humidity at 41%, and wind speed at 2.7 kilometers per hour coming from the southeast. Engineers in the garage are giving Ferrari’s drivers the final details. A quick glance at the telemetry, and the 066/12 engines roar to life.
Both Ferrari cars head out on the yellow tires, a compound that hasn’t been used yet. The outlap is quite brisk to bring the correct amount of heat into the tire carcass. Last corner, push mode, and off they go for their first flying lap. The Ferraris confirm good handling. However, there is still oversteer and a slight difficulty in hitting the apex in some corners where the front end struggles a bit to turn in. Carlos Sainz race engineer Riccardo Adami suggests using a command related to the differential to better manage the car’s rotation. Charles Leclerc also receives advice for Sector 2.
The Monegasque driver asks for and receives a four-click adjustment to the front wing to further balance his car. Two cool-down laps, and then they go again for a second attempt. Traffic is not easy to manage at the moment and is bothering all the drivers, disrupting their focus. Carlos Sainz puts together a fairly clean lap, but it’s not impressive in terms of lap time. In contrast, Charles Leclerc pushes really hard. He pushes so much that in the middle of the snake, he carries too much speed and is forced to make a big correction. Despite this, he sets the fastest time.
The first taste of the SF-24 in FP1 seemed good. The two Italian cars showed good balance, making the drivers’ work easier. They passed the cut comfortably and proceeded to the second part of qualifying, where things will undoubtedly get more serious. Both Italian cars returned to the Texas track with the same tires used earlier. We are referring to the yellow-banded Pirelli tires, two brand new sets. The same hysteresis cycle was followed, as the outlap mirrored the procedures previously used by the Ferrari drivers.
There was a lot of work done on brake settings to fully exploit Ferrari’s braking ability in turns 1 and 12, the most challenging braking points on the track. After the warm-up, they went full throttle again. The Ferrari drivers completed their first attempt. Sainz was the fastest, this time beating his teammate by a tenth. Charles Leclerc, however, made a small mistake in sector 3. The Ferrari cars are well-balanced, as we have said many times, but in some circumstances, the excess rotation becomes evident and slightly compromises rear stability, causing the back end to slide.
They made a quick stop in the pits, waiting to see if these times would be enough for the two Ferraris to pass the cut. Apparently, they are. Without much effort, the SF-24 cars returned to the track and set lap times. Looking at the standings, it’s clear that many drivers are close to each other, with six drivers within just over three-tenths. Without a doubt, the fight for pole position will be very tough, and every little detail will make the difference. It’s all about giving your best and not making any mistakes that, in these cases, can weigh heavily on overall performance.
Without a doubt, tire management is very important here in at the Circuit of The Americas Texas. Completing the warm up process properly before going for the flying lap is crucial. The reason remains the same: accessing the maximum grip the compound can offer. In this last part of the Sprint Shootout, the red-banded tires will be used. It will be interesting to see if the extra grip of the red-banded Pirellis will change the performance observed so far. Here we go, the moment of truth is approaching.
The Ferrari drivers are checking the telemetry on the screens attached to the car’s body, waiting for the third and final part of the qualifying session that will set the grid for the Sprint Race. The two Ferrari cars are waiting to have as much rubber on the track as possible. With just over three minutes left, the engines fired up, and they returned to the Austin track. As anticipated, the Soft tires were fitted, and they worked on the brakes to heat the rear axle. Then, at the end of sector 3, they switched to race mode to give it everything.
Carlos Sainz unfortunately didn’t manage to put together a clean lap. It’s a shame because the potential was not fully exploited, especially in sector 3, where overheating played a nasty trick on the Spaniard. For Charles Leclerc, things went slightly better. Unlike his Maranello teammate, he set the best time in sector 3 but lost too much time in sector 1, where the tires weren’t yet ready. The Monegasque driver was a few hundredths quicker than his Ferrari teammate, which earned him two extra grid positions. But overall the Italian side wasn’t able to optimize the performance of these tires. A real pity because pole position seemed within reach, about two-tenths away.
