Charles Leclerc’s fourth place and Lewis Hamilton’s seventh are a real reflection of the present standings. Lando Norris’ mistake allowed Charles to maintain his place within the second row, assembly the crew’s expectations, however the much less optimistic information for the Scuderia is that three completely different groups, Crimson Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes, are forward.
“The margins are decreased,” says Frederic Vasseur every time, which is true, however they’re additionally constant. General, Leclerc misplaced most of his last hole (0.376s from Max Verstappen, 0.366s from Oscar Piastri, and 0.263s from Norris) within the first sector of the Jeddah circuit, as identified by Frederic Vasseur. However additionally it is true that the highest 9 positions within the last standings match precisely with the highest 9 positions within the first sector, essentially the most selective a part of the monitor. That is the place the distinction must be made.
Charles Leclerc hoped for one thing extra, particularly after seeing Lando Norris’ McLaren crash into the limitations at flip 4, however ultimately, he needed to admit that realistically, going past fourth place was not potential. “I can’t be pleased with a fourth place, however I’m pleased with how I drove and the truth that I understood how one can extract the automotive’s potential,” he commented. “Sadly, for the time being, that is one of the best we are able to obtain: we don’t have sufficient grip to enter some corners with the identical velocity as our opponents, we have to analyze this facet.” The hope for the primary podium of the season continues to be alive, however the impression is that extra will likely be wanted than what has been seen thus far. “Waiting for tomorrow, I don’t anticipate miracles,” Leclerc commented, “but when we are able to get off to begin, a podium place is also inside our attain.”
The race tempo seen in Friday’s temporary long-runs confirmed Ferrari because the third pressure (behind McLaren and Mercedes), however there isn’t any knowledge on efficiency degradation, as nobody was in a position to full greater than ten laps because of the crimson flag attributable to Yuki Tsunoda’s crash.
“Will probably be attention-grabbing to see what the race tempo will likely be for each of our automobiles,” Frederic Vasseur emphasised. “Nobody has been in a position to do actual lengthy runs thus far, however for the reason that begin of the season, we’ve got proven to be extra aggressive within the race than on a single lap. We should be able to seize each alternative the race will supply, as overtaking is feasible on this monitor, and tonight we are going to deal with getting ready for all of the eventualities that might come up throughout the race.”
It might appear unusual, since we’re speaking about Hamilton, however the seventh-place end was a greater outcome than anticipated. After ending FP3 in twelfth place, making it to Q3 was removed from sure, then (with heavy respiratory) the aim was achieved, with seven thousandths of a bonus over Alexander Albon. “Contemplating how a lot we struggled in free observe, I’d say right this moment was a good qualifying,” Lewis commented. “Clearly, we’re not the place we wish to be, however I felt extra snug within the automotive, and which means we’re on target. My solely lap in Q3 wasn’t nice, however overtaking is feasible right here, so the aim for tomorrow is to make up floor.”
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