Scuderia Ferrari recovers from a lackluster Saturday with the SF-24 at the the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka International Racing Course to secure the best possible result in the Japanese Grand Prix, a third place finish with Carlos Sainz, who finished ahead of his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc. After the first four races of the 2024 Formula 1 season, on a complete track like the Japanese one, the field’s values have been clearly defined, if there was any doubt. Max Verstappen has dominated extensively, picking up where he left off at the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia. Currently, it seems that the Australian race is a “small flaw” on a performance-wise fantastic car still unreachable for other teams. The RB20 reminded of the impressive car that dominated in the Land of the Rising Sun just six months ago. The Dutch driver, last weekend just as six months ago, practically played with his opponents and saved his tires to be able to set the fastest lap of the race in the final stages of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Behind the drivers of the Austrian side, we have the two Ferrari cars. Although one could have expected a pace more similar to that of Red Bull, the Maranello team confirmed to be the second force in the field. Moreover, regarding the pit wall and in race strategy, it seems that the new Fred Vasseur management has progressed a lot in terms of race vision, pit calls, and pit stop times. Charles Leclerc extended the first stint with excellent medium tire management, recovering from eighth to fourth position. A choice suggested by himself.
Japanese GP 2024, S1 Telemetry: Verstappen 8 km/h faster at 1st corner. Ferrari SF-24 maintains a higher gas %
Thanks to the telemetry data collected from the Japanese Grand Prix, we can analyze the average speed of the drivers during the Suzuka race. With this information, we aim to understand and explain the strengths and weaknesses of the top drivers by emphasizing where they gain or lose compared to the reference of the race winner, which today remains the benchmark Max Verstappen.
At the end of the main straight, it’s noted that the maximum speed is very similar among four drivers which we analyze, namely Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso, with the Ferrari driver managing to gain 1 kilometers per hour over the rest of the competitors. Through the gap, it can also be observed that all the drivers gained in the straight compared to the world champion, who probably was fuel saving and charging the hybrid exploiting the ample pace advantage available to him.
The Dutchman makes a huge difference in the snake section. The telemetry data clearly shows us how the Japanese Grand Prix winner is consistently above that of the opponents. Max Verstappen averages 8 kilometers per hour faster in corner 1 and, at the same time, manages to reach better maximum speeds between the corners.
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Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, seems to make more use of the throttle between turns 3 and 7. Already in the telemetry from the practice sessions and the qualifying session at Suzuka, which we analyzed in the previous articles, we saw how the Ferrari drivers prefer to use the accelerator more in the snake area, braking more than their opponents to slow down.
Japanese GP 2024, S2 Telemetry: Ferrari SF-24 succumbs to the great force of Red Bull
Shifting focus to the middle sector, we again observe the world champion’s dominance. On average, the Dutchman gains between 2 and 3 tenths in this section of the circuit, and it’s noted how he manages to be the best both in the corners and in terms of top speed. Furthermore, it’s observed how Max Verstappen makes a huge difference at turn 11, where he delays the braking point and manages to gain traction even while going later on the throttle. Only in the hairpin does the Dutchman recover about 2 tenths, taking advantage of the opportunity to run in clean air and set curves and trajectories as he pleases.
At turn 13, the four drivers reach the same top speed, and during braking, the Dutchman again delays the brake input, achieving a better speed at mid-turn. From the telemetry data related to the throttle, it’s observed how Carlos Sainz uses the throttle differently between turns 13 and 14, managing to accelerate earlier but reaching a lower peak compared to his opponents. On exit, Fernando Alonso struggles more, being forced to delay the throttle input, consequently losing ground to his opponents in the section preceding the 130R.
Japanese GP 2024, S3 Telemetry: Ferrari snubs fuel saving at turn 16
In the final sector, Max Verstappen appears more conservative compared to the other analyzed sections. At the 130R, he’s the only one to lift off the throttle to reduce energy input into the tires, and as a result, shows slower speed responses. In turn 16, Carlos Sainz generally achieves better top speeds with his Ferrari SF-24 car, consistently delaying the point where he lifts off. Exploiting the long high-speed straight from turn 13 to the final chicane, drivers use turn 16 to perform fuel-saving.
The difference seen in the throttle telemetry data is due to the fuel-saving strategy chosen by the teams. In the middle of the chicane, Lando Norris reaches better speeds, with Carlos Sainz achieving the highest gas percentage in the direction change. On exit towards the final straight, however, the McLaren driver utilizes the more cautious entry setup to accelerate earlier. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, is conservative, attempting to save the tire that “suffers” many seconds in the load.
Source: Alessandro Arcari and Leonardo Pasqual for FUnoanalisitecnica
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