Scuderia Ferrari recovered on Sunday after a rather disappointing qualifying session at the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka International Racing Course to save a third with Carlos Sainz and a fourth place with Charles Leclerc, which realistically was the best result the Maranello team could hope for in the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, excluding unexpected issues for Red Bull, which this time did not arrive like in Australia.
The SF-24 car recovered during the Suzuka race and it did so through a race-oriented setup where the number one goal was tire management. A dark cloud that plagued the Italian team for many years, but a situation from which, it seems, the red team has finally distanced itself. Dominating the Japanese Grand Prix, however, is still Red Bull. Although there were some difficulties in race pace from the high-fuel simulation of the first free practice session on Friday, the RB20 was able to manage the tires with excellent quality similar to the car from Maranello.
Carlos Sainz once again manages to outperform Charles Leclerc. The Spaniard, despite running with the burden of knowing he will leave Ferrari at the end of the season and is working hard to find the best possible solution for next year, seems to understand his car very well, and leveraging Saturday’s better qualifying result, he was able to secure his third podium in as many races he has contested this year. The Monegasque driver, however, put together a race worthy of the situation, thanks to an excellent first stint on medium tires that allowed him to make only one pit stop. After the tire change, the Ferrari driver had no particular problems holding off the McLaren of Lando Norris.
Subsequently, the two, just as in Australia, maintained a very similar pace and under the same conditions, separated by 2/3 seconds, crossed the finish line. From the fourth round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship campaign, it is evident that the Woking team can be considered the third force in the championship. However, the fact that Lando Norris was able to keep up with Charles Leclerc on such a complete track indicates that the gap between the Italian and English teams is not too high.
F1 | Japanese GP 2024/1st stint analysis: Ferrari and Red Bull maximize performance on mediums
During the first stint, with cars loaded with fuel, it is noted that the number 1 RB20 is the best in the slow corners. Max Verstappen took advantage of clean air to achieve the best speed feedback with medium tires. There was a similar value to the Dutchman for Oscar Piastri, with the Australian utilizing the setup of his MCL38 optimized for better corner performance.
In the medium to high-speed section, Max Verstappen once again imposes his supremacy, exploiting the undoubtedly more suitable handling for the situation of the very fast RB20 single-seater. In the Suzuka sectors of intermediate speed, we can also observe very similar references between McLaren and Scuderia Ferrari, with Lando Norris approaching Max Verstappen’s values more closely.
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However, the data for George Russell is not optimal, as he seems unable to fully exploit the extra grip provided by the softer compound. The English driver confirms the difficulties of the Mercedes W15 with C3 tires, already highlighted in the long runs conducted in free practice, with a German car that during the race fails to maximize the aerodynamic load of the car.
F1 | Japanese GP 2024/2nd stint analysis: Ferrari SF-24 nearly on par with Red Bull on Hard tires
In the second stint, almost all of the top drivers utilized the hard compound; only Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso opted for the C2. Even in the middle section of the Japanese Grand Prix, the reference driver remains unchanged. The world champion confirms his ability to drive the generally better car through the corners. The one who gets closest to the Dutchman’s references is Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque, with the harder tire, managed to control degradation in his second and final stint of the race.
Charles Leclerc took advantage of the car becoming lighter as the laps went by, increasing his cornering speeds and closing in on Max Verstappen’s references. It should be noted that other drivers had, on average, a higher amount of fuel onboard than the Monegasque, a factor that prevented them from achieving good speed values.
Considering drivers with the same strategy, there is an improvement of George Russell’s performance in terms of the medium-fast corners. The young Englishman, like his more experienced Mercedes teammate, managed their tires more efficiently compared to the first stint, allowing for higher average speeds. Ultimately, there are fairly similar values between Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, with a slight tire difference favoring the Spaniard.
F1 | Japanese GP 2024/3rd stint analysis: Sainz’s Ferrari SF-24 excels in medium corners
Finally, let’s analyze the behavior of cars with less fuel onboard during the last stint of the Japanese Grand Prix. It’s redundant to emphasize that even with a lighter car, the domination of RB20 number 1 continues. Among the “earthlings,” Carlos Sainz is the best, pushing his car to the limit to recover positions up to the podium, also benefiting from a shorter stint than his direct opponents.
The Ferrari driver makes a big difference especially in the medium-speed corners, gaining over 5 kilometers per hour on the direct rivals from McLaren. Good results also for the Mercedes duo, which is able to optimize the performance of a W15 more comfortable with less fuel. George Russell is the only one on medium tires to approach Max Verstappen’s speeds in fast corners, thanks to a more substantial aerodynamic load.
F1 | Japanese GP 2024/DRS analysis: Sainz with a good DRS delta, similar top speed between Ferrari and McLaren with DRS closed
Finally, let’s observe how the drivers used the drag reduction system during the race. The Red Bull duo reached the highest speeds, capitalizing on the aerodynamic efficiency of the Austrian car. Furthermore, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen seem to have the best movable device, allowing them to achieve a greater speed boost. On the contrary, Charles Leclerc seems not to exploit the reduced drag like his Maranello teammate, reaching the lowest average speed in the pack.
With the drag reduction system closed, the two Mercedes drivers, along with Sergio Perez, have the lowest drag at the end of the straight and use their power unit to achieve a higher average speed with a better delta. It is worth noting that Max Verstappen’s reference is influenced by the fact that the Dutchman lifts off the throttle earlier, losing in terms of maximum speed.
Around 300 kilometers per hour, the data for Ferrari and McLaren is quite similar at the beginning of the straight. The only one struggling is Oscar Piastri, who loses 4 kilometers per hour compared to the average.
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