Ferrari’s position in the standings is clear: Charles Leclerc is in sixth place, nearly a second off the top. However, compared to Friday, the Maranello team has made a step forward in terms of setup. The car seen on Friday had much more understeer, especially in the first corner and in the section from turn 7 to turn 10. This lack of rotation then turned into an excess, generating oversteer. Since then, the Maranello technicians have worked hard on fine-tuning, trying to give the SF-24 a solid front end, and they partially succeeded.
The Italian car handled much better in the central section, although some control issues were still visible on exit. Once the balance of the SF-24 was sorted, the handling returned to its usual state, meaning it was somewhat oversteer-prone on exit. This factor undoubtedly limited the car’s effectiveness in traction, especially between turns 9 and 10, the latter being particularly crucial as it precedes a stretch of high-speed running that leads to turn 11.
Next, we can offer a direct comparison between Ferrari and McLaren, highlighting the areas where the red car currently falls short. In the first sector, the SF-24 gains during braking, benefiting from notable stability in these phases. However, the balance in the first corner is negative, with a loss of a tenth and a half compared to the British driver’s MCL38. In the central sector, Charles Leclerc does better than Lando Norris in the entry to turn 10, but the McLaren driver takes advantage of a car with much more grip and manages to gain throughout the following straight.
Ferrari had good balance, but the level of grip was lower in all phases of cornering. In turn 10, good work was done, with the drivers today able to get closer to the inside curb, something almost impossible during FP2. Both drivers complained over the radio about the car’s total inconsistency. In other words, there was no consistency in handling, especially in turn 10. Each lap was different, as Carlos Sainz, who suffered the most between the two, pointed out. This is related to the balance but mainly to the tires, which once again proved to be an additional variable.
In some areas, the compounds overheated, while in others, they were a bit too cool, creating inconsistency in this aspect as well. The only sector where they lost less was the third, where they managed to maintain a gap of a tenth from the top. The last corner was handled well, and the top speeds were good. The Mercedes and Red Bull reached 335 kilometers per hour, while the fastest of the two Ferraris was at 333 kilometers per hour.
This is a fairly small delta. From the start of the weekend, they had built a setup focused on maximizing top speed. During the third free practice session, the high-downforce wing from Monaco was tested. Perhaps only due to weather conditions, but the historic Italian team decided to bring it here to Zandvoort. However, it was never tried in dry conditions, as in terms of efficiency, it was far from the target set for the setup.
McLaren built an excellent setup, managing to find the best compromise between the three sectors. In the first sector, they gained a lot at the first corner, from the apex onward. In just those few meters, they gained a tenth over Verstappen’s Red Bull. The latter continued to lose time in the traction phase exiting turn 3, the parabolic corner. The MCL38 enjoyed good overall balance, with only slight oversteer in the middle of the corner. Nothing too evident. In fact, this slight oversteer helped to rotate the car, benefiting in the central sector, where the RB20 managed to gain, especially during entry.
This is unusual, considering that Red Bull typically builds its advantage in the second half of the corner. Verstappen encountered some inconsistency in the handling of his car but still managed to put together a very competitive lap. Despite being hard to find, the balance was good. Red Bull managed to set a direction yesterday that was further developed today. Over four corners (7-10), the RB20 recovered about a tenth and a half from McLaren.
The Red Bull technicians’ skill lay in finding a good compromise in front-end rigidity, allowing solid entry while maintaining the advantage in traction. McLaren, on the other hand, made the difference in acceleration and on the straights, gaining on all cars in the last corner. Finally, Mercedes lost performance between Friday and Saturday, even though track temperature remained the same, around 30°C.
The Brackley team suffered various problems with the front end, which lacked grip in several parts of the track. From the start of qualifying, the German cars experienced significant understeer, especially Lewis Hamilton, who was eliminated in Q2. In turn 9, George Russell struggled to hit the inside curb during his last attempt in Q3. In turn 10, he tried to close the line, but the car responded by triggering oversteer, with the rear end losing grip. Mercedes needs to be reassessed on a track that doesn’t seem to suit the W15 too well.
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