Ferrari’s Struggle at Suzuka: A Deeper Look into Their Performance

The battle for the Formula 1 championship is heating up, with Red Bull and Ferrari fighting for the top spot. At the recent Suzuka race, Ferrari had high hopes of closing the gap to Red Bull and posing a real threat. However, despite making progress with their SF-24 car, Ferrari still fell short.

Kosport Magazine, the author and owner of this article, takes a closer look at Ferrari’s performance at Suzuka and the factors that contributed to their struggle.

Ferrari’s Progress and Disappointment

Ferrari had made good progress in the high-speed corners, which are common at Suzuka. This was a good indication of their overall improvement. However, their long run form during practice sessions showed that they were on par with Red Bull, giving them hope for a strong performance.

But when it came to qualifying, Ferrari fell short. They managed to reduce the gap to Red Bull from 0.665 seconds last year to 0.485 seconds this year. However, this was not enough to satisfy the team, especially because their long run form had been promising.

The Slow-Speed Struggle

Upon closer analysis, it was revealed that the majority of the gap between Ferrari and Red Bull was in the slow-speed corners. This was surprising, as Ferrari has traditionally excelled in these types of turns.

Comparing the GPS traces of Max Verstappen’s pole position lap and Carlos Sainz’s effort, it was clear that Ferrari was losing time in the slow-speed areas. Sainz was only one tenth behind Verstappen coming out of Turn 2, but lost another tenth in the hairpin. From there until the chicane, there was very little difference between the two cars.

Ferrari’s Approach to Slow-Speed Corners

Further comparisons of Ferrari’s best laps from this year and last year showed that the SF-24 car was slower in the hairpin and chicane this year. This suggests that something has changed in their approach to slow-speed corners.

While a tenth of a second may not seem like much, in the competitive world of F1, it can make a huge difference. Ferrari acknowledges the importance of understanding and addressing this issue.

Team principal Fred Vasseur stated, “In all the sessions we struggled a lot in turn 17, the last of the chicane before the finish line. This was creating the gap to Max, and we have to talk about that. We talk about a tenth between ninth and fourth, and it’s a matter of details. But details are important, so we have to focus on that and understand why we lose so much time in the last corner.”

The Complicated Truth

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc also weighed in on the issue, stating that the car’s characteristics may not have been well-suited for Suzuka. He also mentioned that their long run performance was good, but they struggled on the short run. This could be due to tire-related issues.

However, there is another truth that Ferrari cannot ignore. While Red Bull’s Max Verstappen constantly complains about their performance in low-speed corners, it is actually an area where they excel.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explains, “Everyone has improved in high speed compared to Red Bull, but I think at the same time Red Bull retained an advantage in terms of straight-line speed. And they are also very good in all the other speeds. If you take the hairpin, they have the best car. So it’s ultimately just the group of features that you have in your car that makes the lap time.”

In Conclusion

Ferrari’s struggle at Suzuka highlights the complexities of F1 racing. With the current generation of cars, teams must find a balance between high-speed and low-speed performance. Ferrari’s pursuit of high-speed gains may have compromised their advantage in slow-speed corners. But as Red Bull has shown, having a well-rounded car is crucial for success in this competitive sport.

Kosport Magazine hopes that Ferrari will continue to analyze and improve their performance, as the championship battle intensifies.