The qualifying for one of the spectacular occasions of the season is now over. There have been many twists and surprises on the finish of the three quick qualifying classes for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with an surprising outsider securing third place. Along with Pierre Gasly‘s shock, the efficiency of Mercedes was confirmed, with George Russell taking pole place. Let’s see, within the telemetry evaluation of qualifying, the place George Russell made the distinction in Las Vegas.
The complicated observe situations made the Las Vegas qualifying extraordinarily difficult for all of the drivers. The observe floor and air temperatures “slowed down” the efficiency of a number of vehicles. Nevertheless, the chilly didn’t cease George Russell’s W15, which grabbed pole from Carlos Sainz by a couple of thousandths.
The large distinction, in comparison with Ferrari, lies within the first sector, a weak level for the SF-24 all through 2024. This drawback was accentuated by the low temperatures, which slowed down the tire warm-up course of. Each drivers needed to full multiple preparation lap to carry the tires into the proper window. Each Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc ready their quick lap with two warm-up laps and gasoline on board.
The primary actual crucial level of the circuit is the quick right-hand nook main onto the primary straight with DRS. Right here, it’s necessary to exit as strongly as doable to keep away from being attacked in sector 5. Within the comparability between George Russell and the 2 Ferraris, an enormous distinction emerges—three-tenths over Carlos Sainz and six-tenths over Charles Leclerc.
In comparison with the 2 SF-24 drivers, George Russell didn’t expertise any velocity drops, however solely a slight “stagnation” the place his velocity remained fixed earlier than selecting up once more. George Russell hit 225 km/h versus the 221 km/h of the 2 Ferraris, however Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have been pressured to elevate the throttle to keep away from dropping management of their vehicles. With a lot stronger tire grip in comparison with Ferrari, George Russell was capable of exit in direction of flip 4 at over 235 km/h, in comparison with the 225 km/h of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Sector 2 telemetry evaluation, Las Vegas
The part underneath the Las Vegas sphere reveals a superb stability between Ferrari and Mercedes, partly as a result of SF-24’s tire window entry. That is demonstrated by the low-speed grip expressed by Ferrari. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc selected to barely sacrifice the entry to show 7 to be able to exit higher at flip 8 and head in direction of flip 9.
Flip 12 Las Vegas
The exit from flip 12, as talked about yesterday, is essential for attacking or making an attempt to defend. Between George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz, the acceleration reveals some variations. Leclerc had a slight snap on method, however the wonderful traction of the SF-24 and the hybrid deployment allowed him to get well nicely and obtain one of the best sector time within the second sector and an ideal lap time within the third. The Mercedes was far more inconsistent, in all probability as a result of the tire was very worn by the tip of the lap.
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