Scuderia Ferrari couldn’t deliver a dream performance for the home crowd, as Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc didn’t maximize their package. Overall, the Ferrari SF-24 car suffered from understeer in the second sector, while in the first sector, particularly in Turn 1, oversteer on exit severely limited performance. Additionally, tire temperature issues contributed to the underwhelming performance. This factor limited the grip generated by the Italian cars at certain moments, and as a result, affected their performance. Lando Norris was the fastest, beating his teammate by about a tenth.
The young Englishman made a significant difference, especially considering that only 77 thousandths of a second separate Oscar Piastri in second place from Lewis Hamilton in sixth. George Russell was the better of the two Mercedes drivers, denying Ferrari the opportunity of starting right behind the McLaren cars. George Russell delivered a cleaner drive than his teammate, managing the rear of the W15 number 63 exceptionally well. It was a tough night for Red Bull, increasingly struggling to understand the front end of the RB20. Max Verstappen will start seventh today, alongside Sergio Perez, with the obligation to climb up to stop Lando Norris’s rise in the championship.
Red Bull’s difficulties in mid-corner were clearly highlighted by the telemetry data: Max Verstappen, and even more so Sergio Perez, maintained much lower minimum speeds in mid-corner compared to the McLarens. Among the two drivers starting from the front row, Oscar Piastri was generally faster than his teammate: 3 kilometers per hour quicker than Lando Norris in the first two chicanes. Ferrari has lower speed to McLaren in the medium-slow corners, but the lack of confidence in the car during corner entry slowed down Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc at Parabolica and Ascari. As the Spaniard mentioned, the red-banded Pirelli tires lost performance in the final part of the lap.
At Ascari, Charles Leclerc lost nearly two-tenths to Lando Norris due to noticeable oversteer mid-corner, caused by a lack of front-end stability on entry. Overall, both Mercedes were good, with Geroge Russell being faster in the corners of the final sector. In fact, in this sector, the young Englishman gained 113 thousandths on Hamilton and was able to surpass him in the final standings. Looking at the entire corner phase, the comparison between the two leading drivers generally favors the pole-sitter. The only mistake was in the exit of the first chicane, where Lando experienced oversteer and had to lift off.
The Ferrari drivers took the last two corners in a similar way, with the Spaniard being better on entry into Parabolica but slower on the throttle on exit. This allowed Charles Leclerc, who was about a tenth behind before the final corner, to close in and pass him at the finish line. At the first chicane, however, the Monegasque driver carried more speed into the corner and managed the exit better, even though he had to make some corrections mid-corner. Max was 5 kilometers per hour slower than Lando Norris in the last two corners and complained throughout Q3 about not being able to generate tire grip.
Now let’s move on to speed analysis, trying to identify who, in the temple of speed, found the best balance between hybrid-thermal power and resistance to advancement. Ferrari is the fastest, maximizing the efficiency of the low-drag aerodynamic setup. The performance of the Ferrari drivers is identical in both DRS sectors. Additionally, considering the average speed at the end of the straight, Ferrari stands out: 5 kilometers per hour faster than Lando Norris.
Red Bull and McLaren are slower. These two teams, after the first free practice sessions, analyzed the data and opted for a car capable of generating greater downforce, mainly in preparation for Sunday. The same applies to Russell, who mounted the more loaded front wing of the two available for Mercedes. Hamilton opted for the specification with a smaller last profile area, finding a minimal speed gain compared to his teammate.
Lastly, let’s look at the performance of the cars on the straights, using average speed as a reference. From the telemetry data, we can make some assumptions about hybrid power management. Compared to the previous data, it can be seen that Mercedes utilized the hybrid power before the start of the DRS zone, resulting in Lewis Hamilton being faster among the top drivers. The Ferrari drivers showed similar references, with Carlos Sainz being quicker on the straight opposite the finish line, thanks to higher exit speed from Ascari.
Finally, Red Bull and McLaren, with more downforce, intelligently decided to maximize hybrid power in the section between turn 10 and T11. This is the only area where DRS cannot be used. Therefore, to balance the speeds shown by the other teams, the two constructors fighting for the championship made more use of the battery. This way, the hybrid power was greater, allowing them to close the aerodynamic gap.
Ferrari used the low-drag setup to secure the second and third rows on the grid for the Monza Grand Prix. However, this choice doesn’t clarify the true potential of the car for the race. During the night between Friday and Saturday, the Maranello team decided to make some changes that the drivers welcomed. In the race, the goal is to attack, trying to take advantage of the low-drag setup. It remains to be seen how the tires will be managed in relation to degradation.
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