Ferrari gave it a shot, with an ideal Method 1 race executed by each drivers. Within the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz defied efficiency predictions, retaining tempo with McLaren for a lot of the race. Nonetheless, Ferrari wanted a win. The course of the complete race weekend confirmed as soon as once more how unfavorable the 5.281-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island is to the Italian crew. The Maranello squad should channel the frustration of drivers, engineers, and mechanics right into a kind of motivational springboard to bounce again stronger within the 2025 Method 1 season.
McLaren is the constructors’ world champion. An unrelenting tempo on the Laborious tire allowed Lando Norris to make the distinction over Carlos Sainz and safe the ninth title for the British crew. The Englishman gained the ultimate race of the season due to a powerful second half of the race, enabling the Woking-based crew to capitalize on their efforts all through the F1 season. After the occasions of the primary stint, the state of affairs grew to become clear: whoever gained the race would ship the constructors’ title to their crew. For Ferrari, nonetheless, a second-place end from Charles Leclerc was additionally essential.
The Monegasque driver delivered a superb first a part of the race, ending fourth after ranging from the final spot on the grid. The Monegasque’s tempo was six-tenths slower than the main duo because of visitors. He executed a exceptional comeback, closing in on George Russell, who slowed him down within the final two laps of his stint. Charles Leclerc gained floor on the straights, however George Russell pulled away within the technical sections, by no means permitting DRS or an overtaking alternative. Carlos Sainz was in second place and had a tempo akin to Lando Norris.
The Spaniard, after the digital security automobile, stabilized his hole to the winner at round 3-4 seconds till the tip of the stint. Primarily based on the telemetry evaluation of the information associated to tire degradation, we are able to discover the truth that the efficiency drop-off for each drivers was very comparable. Probably the most crucial sector for the Spaniard was the third, the place he misplaced about two-tenths. As within the qualifying session, essentially the most difficult flip for the SF-24 was Flip 9, the place Lando Norris was simpler in all phases: entry, mid-corner, and exit. Furthermore, the Ferrari driver was very aggressive on the brakes between Turns 12 and 15, favoring entry over exit. This alternative, total, was not helpful.
Consequently, the Spanish driver was slower within the brief straight resulting in the ultimate flip and misplaced extra time than he gained underneath braking, specifically about half a tenth. Mercedes additionally had a powerful first a part of the race, diversifying methods to assist Lewis Hamilton recuperate from the again of the pack. The longer term Ferrari driver accomplished over 30 laps on the Laborious tires, enhancing his references because the automobile grew to become lighter. The seven-time Method 1 world champion ended the primary stint with a tempo much like his teammate, who began on the yellow-banded Pirelli tires.
George Russell skilled accelerated tire put on within the closing a part of the stint, forcing his crew to pit sooner than deliberate. Each Brackley automobiles benefited from wonderful straight-line pace due to their low-drag aerodynamic setup. Nonetheless, this configuration didn’t present good traction. The W15 slid considerably on nook exits, and the drivers couldn’t be aggressive on the throttle with out exacerbating tire put on additional.
Charles Leclerc was the primary of the main drivers to pit and swap to Laborious tires. The plan outlined by the pit wall for the Monegasque was Plan C, which concerned finishing over 30 laps within the second stint. To increase the lifetime of his tires, the Monegasque driver adopted a really gradual preliminary section within the early laps. Due to this strategy, he was capable of enhance his lap occasions till the tip of the race, reaching the very best lap time enchancment among the many prime drivers. The Ferrari driver needed to defend in opposition to the approaching Mercedes from behind, managing tire put on significantly between laps 40 and 44.
Subsequently, on the pit wall’s request, Charles Leclerc elevated his tempo throughout these laps to decrease tire temperatures earlier than pushing once more. On the entrance, Lando Norris secured the victory with a median tempo two-tenths higher than Carlos Sainz’s SF-24 on the Laborious tires. Trying on the degradation data primarily based on information collected from the second stint, the Spaniard matched the Englishman’s tempo for under 5 laps. Lando Norris as soon as once more showcased the MCL38’s developments by way of tire administration, setting his finest occasions within the closing a part of the stint when Carlos Sainz confronted essentially the most difficulties.
From a telemetry perspective, the third sector proved to be essentially the most difficult as soon as once more. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had been quicker than Lando Norris within the first two-thirds of the observe as a result of setup chosen by the Italian crew in comparison with McLaren. Ferrari leveraged the straights within the first two sectors to match Lando Norris’s efficiency, recovering what was misplaced in traction at Turns 5 and seven and cornering at Flip 1. The ultimate sector, nonetheless, favored the MCL38, which, due to better aerodynamic downforce, was quicker at Flip 9 and simpler in traction, sliding much less because of vertical load.
Ferrari seemingly opted for a lower-downforce setup to facilitate place restoration after qualifying. This alternative paid off with Charles Leclerc, who simply gained positions, however deprived Carlos Sainz, who had a powerful qualifying. On Medium tires, Lewis Hamilton was the quickest on observe. The seven-time Method 1 world champion completed the race in fourth place, lapping practically nine-tenths quicker than his Mercedes teammate within the second stint of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. When it comes to tire administration, the 2 drivers skilled reverse efficiency degradation.
George Russell struggled to deliver his tires as much as temperature, affected by graining early within the stint, which compromised the ultimate a part of his race. Lewis Hamilton, however, improved his lap occasions because the stint progressed, partly because of a shorter stint. The Briton maximized tire efficiency in traction, exiting Turns 5 and seven, to shut the hole to his teammate. Ferrari got here shut, however the comeback within the closing races was not sufficient to shut the hole to McLaren. The Maranello technicians and engineers ought to have addressed this earlier, in the course of the center of the Method 1 championship, the place they squandered many alternatives with subpar performances following the introduction of an aerodynamic replace bundle on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Even the Woking crew misplaced a major variety of factors alongside the way in which, however finally, Andrea Stella‘s crew left 14 fewer factors on the desk than Frederic Vasseur’s. It’s price noting, nonetheless, that the Frenchman put his mark on a Ferrari automobile a yr later than his counterpart at McLaren. Solely in 2024 did Frederic Vasseur form his Ferrari, bringing it inside just some factors of the championship this yr. The SF-24 single-seater was a really aggressive automobile after the summer season break, laying a strong basis for the 2025 Method 1 season.
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