For Ferrari, an necessary weekend begins: the System 1 Canadian Grand Prix. The Maranello crew, after two consecutive podiums in Monaco and the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, each achieved by Charles Leclerc, known as upon to silence with outcomes the latest rumors suggesting that crew principal Frederic Vasseur could possibly be out on the finish of the 2025 System 1 season. Each drivers have defended the French supervisor’s work and wish to shut ranks by attempting to provide their most.
The SF-25 single-seater has carried out decently in latest outings, no less than by way of race tempo, however the efficiency remains to be removed from the expectations initially of the season. For that reason, Frederic Vasseur’s identify has been extensively mentioned, as has that of the Monegasque driver, who wished to disclaim any rumors of a attainable departure, as soon as once more professing his everlasting love for the Prancing Horse.
Let’s now take an in depth take a look at how occasions unfolded for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton within the first free observe session on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal:
The Ferrari drivers are of their automobiles and, after the same old pre-session checks, go away the pit lane to start their first run on the Canadian circuit. Each SF-25 automobiles are fitted with crimson compound Pirelli tires for this preliminary section. The gearbox is ready to the GX3 mapping, designed to permit quick however not overly aggressive gear modifications. Lewis Hamilton instantly goes on the assault in opposition to the stopwatch, whereas Charles Leclerc opts for a preparation lap to carry the C6 tires as much as temperature.
The primary laps are cautious, with the drivers assessing the observe circumstances, made even trickier by the site visitors on the circuit. Ferrari shows its standard traits: slight understeer on nook entry and a lackluster response within the slower path modifications. Whereas Lewis Hamilton appears to battle to maintain the tires within the optimum window, his Maranello teammate seems simpler in temperature administration, particularly on the tire floor.
Within the first two sectors, Charles Leclerc nonetheless can’t discover supreme grip, however within the third sector, he’s already among the many quickest. It stays to be seen whether or not that is as a result of chosen setup or just a delay in tire activation. His sector occasions steadily enhance within the following laps between the primary and second sectors, indicating that it was extra a matter of confidence and adapting to the observe, mixed with a extra progressive use of the compounds.
Nonetheless, every part involves a halt because of an incident involving Charles Leclerc, who locks up his entrance proper in Flip 3. The Monegasque goes onto the grass, can’t steer the automobile, and hits the within wall with the entrance left, additionally damaging the rear left, thus destroying a lot of the left aspect of his SF-25. Pink flag, and session over for the 27-year-old driver.
Charles Leclerc makes a easy mistake, a lapse in focus that penalizes him closely simply as he was gaining extra confidence with the automobile. An actual disgrace, contemplating the progress proven. About ten minutes later, the session resumes, and Lewis Hamilton instantly returns to the observe with one other set of Comfortable tires. After not even a full lap, the Briton additionally loses management of his automobile: underneath braking at Flip 10, the rear finish steps out and he spins, luckily with out harm.
He returns to the pits to mount a brand new set of tires. Total, Ferrari’s traction appears strong, however it’s clear that dealing with nonetheless wants fine-tuning. The shortage of rotation continues to be a weak point, the identical one which led Charles Leclerc to the error and the crash into the obstacles. In comparison with his Maranello teammate, the Briton nonetheless wants to search out the proper feeling with the automobile, however no less than he didn’t crash.
Upon his return to the observe, Lewis Hamilton exhibits no clear enchancment in lap occasions. He additionally studies a difficulty with the delta on the steering wheel and receives directions from the pit wall to vary his strategy to Turns 3 and 10: enter extra slowly to realize higher exit acceleration. Within the closing section of the session, the crew focuses on a race tempo simulation with a excessive gasoline load, important for analyzing tire conduct underneath extra lifelike circumstances.
The simulation consists of 11 consecutive laps, throughout which the SF-25 seems typically steady however nonetheless barely unsure on nook entry. The lap occasions stay pretty constant, with a quick opening lap in 1.16.9, adopted by laps within the low 1.17s. In abstract, the potential is there, however extra work is required on the stability entrance. The aim is to discover a setup that enables the automobile to maximise efficiency by higher managing each understeer and oversteer, making the automobile extra responsive and aggressive.
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