Метка: Ferrari

Why Vegas’s Monza and Baku similarities aren’t good news for Ferrari and McLaren in 2024

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Based on previous results on similar circuits, Ferrari and McLaren are the pre-race favourites as Formula 1 heads to Las Vegas, but two key factors could yet trip them up.

This is also notwithstanding a rather resurgent Red Bull after Max Verstappen’s thumping victory last time out in Brazil, his win in F1’s return to Sin City last year and how his team’s car packages have been superb on aerodynamic efficiency right through the current rules era.

That third factor is a trump card on the 3.9-mile track, 1.4 miles of which is the Strip straight alone, with the RB20 likely to be back in in its drag reducing specification in a bid to make further gains in this area too.

But Ferrari was on course to win in Vegas last year, with Charles Leclerc repassing controversial early leader Verstappen and then opening up a healthy advantage over the penalised Dutchman before being undone by the mid-race safety car.

Key to Ferrari’s pace last year was how the SF-23 could fire up its tyres in the cold conditions F1 does not typically encounter anywhere else.

But after the red cars were off the pace in the cool Interlagos rain, Leclerc warned “this year we’ve done a big step in tyre management, which means that we also left something behind in cold conditions and tyre temperatures just like [Brazil] was”.

“Las Vegas is a bit of that scenario as well,” he added.

Leclerc was a strong contender for victory in Las Vegas last year

Leclerc was a strong contender for victory in Las Vegas last year

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The cool temperature challenge for Vegas is two-fold, with Ferrari’s simulator senior engineer Erik van der Veen explaining this “makes it difficult to get the tyres in the right window for a single push lap, and equally difficult to keep them in the window for long runs”.

The track asphalt has also aged since it was installed ahead of the 2023 event, which means it should be slightly rougher and so the tyres can bite more on the altered surface and provide the drivers with more grip.

“Hopefully it’s going to provide grip levels closer to what we usually encounter and be easier to work with,” says Aston Martin’s performance director, Tom McCullough.

This means that even if Ferrari had not sacrificed its tyre warming advantage for in-race tyre degradation gains – a move that improved its package overall – the track aging should naturally boost the other teams.

At Aston, McCullough also hoped “the characteristics of the AMR24 will suit this track a bit better”, as the green team tries moves on from what was a bruising last triple header.

“The most similar circuit to [Vegas] is Baku,” McCullough added. “There are a lot of low-speed corners, very few high-speed corners, and it is a circuit that requires very high aerodynamic efficiency.

“There are lots of power-limited straight-line zones where your laptime comes from. Your car has got to be fast on the straights not only for laptime, but also for raceability.”

The Baku comparison raises expectations for McLaren after Oscar Piastri beat Leclerc there this year, with the orange team also locking out the front row of the grid at this season’s Italian Grand Prix too – another venue that features many long straights.

Aston Martin hopes Vegas will suit its car better

Aston Martin hopes Vegas will suit its car better

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Ferrari will be able to unleash its ‘Monza special’ rear wing package from 2023 at Vegas this weekend, but McLaren will not be able to run the wing it used in Italy and Baku after agreeing to modify the upper element of its skinniest rear wing.

This followed the ‘Mini-DRS’ controversy of the team’s then rear wing package flexing considerably at top speed and subsequent discussions with the FIA, with the wing only set to return in Vegas.

Now it cannot do so, both McLaren and Ferrari appear to face a closer run for Vegas victory with Red Bull than the straight-heavy run of Monza and Baku back in September, where Verstappen’s squad struggled badly around car set-up work it feels it has since cracked, suggested.

Watch: The Driver-FIA Battle Intensifies and More — Autosport Answers Your Questions



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What’s at stake at F1’s second Las Vegas GP?

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Formula 1 heads to Las Vegas for the second edition of its street race on the Strip. Here’s what’s at stake in Sin City.

A fourth F1 world title for Verstappen?

In the drivers’ championship, Max Verstappen could claim his fourth straight world title. With 86 points available across the remaining three grand prix weekends, the Red Bull man is guaranteed another crown by winning the race outright, or indeed by just finishing ahead of nearest challenger Lando Norris. Verstappen can even afford to finish directly behind Norris in most scenarios to claim the trophy on Saturday night.

The 27-year-old is poised to join the likes of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Juan Manuel Fangio, who all won four consecutive titles before him, with Alain Prost the only other driver to conquer four drivers’ championships over his career. 

Verstappen will be champion in Vegas if:

  • Verstappen finishes ahead of Norris
  • Norris is second or third and Verstappen finishes right behind him with the fastest lap
  • Norris is fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth and Verstappen finishes right behind him
  • Norris is ninth, 10th or fails to score
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Ferrari’s best chance to strike

In the constructors’ championship the battle rages on, courtesy of Ferrari enjoying a strong resurgence after its late-season upgrades cured some of the SF-24’s flaws. McLaren leads Ferrari by 36 points, but the Scuderia comfortably outscored its rival over the most recent American triple-header, with a win apiece for both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Leclerc could have easily won last year’s Vegas event, and the slow corners and long straights are expected to benefit Ferrari more than McLaren and Red Bull this weekend. Leclerc did caution that Ferrari’s tyre management improvements this year may have inadvertently taken away a strength in the cold conditions likely faced in Nevada, so it remains to be seen if the Scuderia is as fast as it was last year.

But with McLaren still expected to have the most consistently fast car over the remaining three races, Ferrari will need a big weekend in Las Vegas to have a realistic chance of defeating the papaya team. The Italian squad is not expecting to be a match for McLaren through the high-speed corners of Qatar’s Losail circuit, while Abu Dhabi could go either way. So, Ferrari needs to outscore McLaren by a handy margin this weekend to stay in the fight.

As is well documented, Sergio Perez’s struggles have seen Red Bull demoted to third, 13 points adrift of Ferrari. The reigning champion could still beat Ferrari if the Mexican hits a late vain of form, but it looks resigned to stay where it is unless its rivals slip up like in Brazil.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Fallout of FIA’s Wittich sacking to emerge

Las Vegas is also the first race weekend since the surprise ousting of Niels Wittich as F1’s race director. Wittich is the latest in a series of high-profile departures at the FIA under current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Wittich’s removal, which Autosport understands was due to a falling out with the president, caught many people in the paddock off-guard and is set to lead to further calls from F1 teams for the governing body to restore some stability in its leadership.

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The FIA has yet to respond to the drivers’ calls for Ben Sulayem to rethink his actions, with the drivers’ union GPDA having written an open letter bemoaning the FIA’s heavy-handed approach on matters like swearing and wearing jewellery. As the paddock reconvenes in Vegas, discussions on the various flashpoints that have dragged on throughout the season are likely to be held both in public and in private.

Las Vegas looking to confirm the hype on tough second album

Last year’s inaugural race down the Strip was hailed as a commercial success for F1, and the low-grip, high-speed layout ended up delivering an intriguing, action-packed race, ultimately won by one of its fiercest critics in Verstappen.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

The event got off to a rocky start when Sainz wrecked his Ferrari over a loose water valve cover, leading to delays that saw spectators kicked out for FP2, which started at 2:30am local time.

The organisers are hoping for smoother operational running this time, having promised much less disruption for local residents after some businesses sued F1 and the city over missed income during the nine-month build-up to last year’s event, which closed down key arteries.

Following widespread criticism that it was only catering to high-end customers and the corporate world, the event has made 10,000 additional general admission tickets available for this year at lower prices, and the hotel price bubble of 2023 also appears to have been a one-off miscalculation. The city and the series are now keen to prove that the Las Vegas Grand Prix isn’t a one-hit wonder and can show its full potential on what is often a tough second album.

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Calado reveals hospitalisation after «dangerous» WEC weight loss effort

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ferrari driver James Calado has revealed that he was hospitalised with malnutrition early in this year’s World Endurance Championship campaign as a result of his efforts to lose weight.

The Briton has disclosed that he became «properly ill» after the Qatar season-opener as he strived to overcome the performance disadvantage that comes with carrying extra kilogrammes in the WEC’s Hypercar category, which does not include the driver in the minimum weight of the car.

«I was sick this year because I lost so much weight — I went to hospital after Qatar with malnutrition,» he explained. «I was on medication because I was running and not eating, trying so hard to lose weight.

«It’s too dangerous for me to go down to the weight I want.»

Calado explained that he is «70-something kilos» and that could result in a performance disadvantage of as much as half a second a lap on a regular circuit to a driver who weighs 20kg less.

«I would love to be able to qualify, but I’m too heavy,» he said. «I would love something to make it more equal like karting or in other championships.

#51 Ferrari Af Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

#51 Ferrari Af Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Shameem Fahath

«It’s not easy to manage because it’s endurance racing — three drivers per car, two in others — I know that, but let’s try and do something.»

Calado’s revelation comes at a time when there is a push to mitigate the advantage that running lighter drivers brings.

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos revealed to Motorsport.com that he has raised the issue with the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which jointly run the WEC.

«There should be compensation for driver weight as there was in the past in LMP1 and we are pushing for that,» he said.

«We shouldn’t get to a situation where the manufacturers are looking for the lightest drivers; there should be a situation where every driver can be competitive.

«This is also a safety topic: drivers try to lose weight, but this is endurance racing so it can be dangerous.»

James Calado, Ferrari AF Corse

James Calado, Ferrari AF Corse

Photo by: Nikolaz Godet

ACO technical director Thierry Bouvet admitted that the idea is being discussed, but stressed that no decision has been made.

«When people have ideas, we and the FIA look at the pros and cons and see if they need to be adopted or not,» he said.

A rule introduced in LMP1 for the 2015 WEC season increased the minimum weight of a car in which the average weight of its two or three drivers was less than 80kg.

Three drivers with an average weight of 75kg had to carry 5kg of ballast in their car, for example.

The rule didn’t remove the advantage a lighter driver had over heavier co-drivers but equalised the cars across the grid.

The cars of Formula 1 drivers who weigh less than 80kg in their racewear have to carry ballast to bring it up to the 798kg minimum.

The Hypercar technical rules for 2025 have already been approved and published but could be changed with the unanimous support of the manufacturers.



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Tyre allocation breach brought no performance gain in Bahrain

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Ferrari has insisted that the tyre allocation infringement that resulted in it losing second place in Saturday’s Bahrain World Endurance Championship finale offered no performance advantage.

Ferdinando Cannizzo, the Italian manufacturer’s sportscar racing technical director, said “nothing would have changed, no advantage and no disadvantage” when questioned the day after the race about the infraction that relegated the #51 factory AF Corse Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar to 14th position in the final classification. 

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Cannizzo also clarified the nature of the infringement, which he said was contrary to that outlined in the stewards’ bulletin. 

The bulletin announcing the penalty stated that Ferrari had used two more Michelin tyres than the 26 allowed for a qualifying and the race at an eight-hour WEC event. 

Cannizzo said: “All I can say is that we ran 26 tyres.”

There was further clarification in Ferrari’s post-race press release.

“According to the document, the car used 28 tyres rather than the 26 permitted for qualifying and the race — in fact, the team respected the 26-tyre limit,” it read. 

“However, because of a mistake, during the race they [the team] used the tyres fitted to the car for the grid formation instead of those scrubbed during qualifying and intended for the race.

“These two tyres were not considered as part of the contingent allocated by the team, hence the stewards’ decision.”

Cannizzo’s comments suppose that the Michelins mistakenly used on #51 were of the same compound and had already done a similar number of laps as those tyres that were part of its allocation.

Cannizzo would not reveal how the mistake happened. “It is a story I would like to keep for us,” he stated. 

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Ferrari

All tyres used in the WEC have bar codes and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags that are automatically read as a car leaves the pitlane. 

A team declares the individual tyres it is going to use before the start of the race. 

Cannizzo called for consistent interpretation and enforcement of the rules during his post-race press briefing on Sunday afternoon. 

“We should push to have the same criteria in every race and every situation — this is what I would like,” he said. 

“What doesn’t work is to apply different criteria in different situations.” 

Asked if he believed that the tyre allocation rules had been broken and not punished in the past, Cannizzo replied in the affirmative.

The #51 Ferrari shared by Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, which finished 27s behind the winning Toyota at the end of the Bahrain 8 Hours, incurred a time penalty of 4m55s, which resulted in it being listed as two laps down in the final classification. 

Cannizzo stated that Ferrari’s error was not linked to delays in Hypercar tyre supplier Michelin providing the organisers – the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – with the list of tyres and their identification codes. 

This was supplied three hours before the start of the race rather than 48 hours prior to the start of the event as laid down in the regulations. 

The stewards ruled that the delay had no impact on the event, but fined Michelin €15,000 with €10,000 suspended. 

Photos from Bahrain Race

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Ferrari loses second place in WEC Bahrain race for exceeding tyre allocation

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The second-placed factory Ferrari has been penalised for exceeding its tyre allocation in Saturday’s World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain and has dropped out of the points.

Ferrari’s #51 499P Le Mans Hypercar shared by Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi received a penalty of 4m55s for using two more tyres than the permitted maximum of 26 allowed for qualifying and the race at an eight-hour event.

The time penalty was converted to two racing laps, dropping the car to 14th in the classification, and means that Peugeot has notched up its first podium of the season.

Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller and Jean-Eric Vergne are now classified third in the Bahrain 8 Hours aboard the #93 9X8 2024 LMH, equalling the French manufacturer’s best result notched up at Monza in 2023 since its return to top-flight endurance racing in 2022.

It also means that new 2024 WEC Hypercar drivers’ champions Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre move into the points with 10th place.

Ferrari’s penalty cannot be appealed.

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Ferrari

Hypercar tyre supplier Michelin has also been fined for not declaring the correct list of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and barcodes 48 hours before the start of the race meeting in Bahrain as per the series rules.

These were not supplied to the organisers until 11:00 on Saturday, just three hours before the start of the race.

Michelin has been fined €15,000 with €10,000 suspended.

The French tyre company will be allowed to appeal the decision of the stewards.



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Leclerc fined by FIA for swearing in F1 press conference

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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has been handed a €10,000 fine, half of which is suspended, for swearing in the Mexico Grand Prix’s post-race press conference.

After finishing third in Mexico City, Leclerc used an expletive in the FIA press conference to describe his thinking as he went off the track at Mexico’s final corner, which allowed McLaren driver Lando Norris through to claim second.

«I had one oversteer and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side and then I was like, ‘fuck’,» Leclerc said.

He then realised he might get in trouble over his choice of words given FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s recent crackdown on swearing, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen handed a community service penalty for his own use of the word in Singapore.

«Oh, sorry! Oh no, I don’t want to join Max,» Leclerc laughed.

But after investigating the matter on Friday evening in Brazil, the FIA stewards decided to hand the Ferrari driver a €10,000 fine instead, with €5,000 suspended provided there is no repeat offence over the next 12 months.

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Explaining their verdict, the stewards argued that Leclerc immediately being apologetic was a mitigating factor in his punishment, and that Leclerc’s offence was not at the same level of Verstappen’s swearing in Singapore.

«The Stewards reviewed the transcript of the Post-Race Drivers’ Press Conference in Mexico and found that Charles Leclerc, the driver of car 16, used language in response to a somewhat leading question asking him “what did you say to yourself” in relation to the significant moment towards the end of the race when Leclerc was fighting to control the car at the exit of the last corner,» the verdict read.

«In response Leclerc used coarse language being the accurate recollection of what he thought to himself at the time. Leclerc immediately realised his error and apologised. Such language is not considered suitable for broadcast.

This is “Misconduct” as defined in Article 20 of the International Sporting Code, and is a breach of Article 12.2.1.k. The Stewards noted that the language was not directed at anyone or any group and that Leclerc immediately apologised.

«During the hearing Leclerc expressed his regret for his momentary lack of judgment and shared that he understood his responsibility as a role model for the sport. The Stewards considered the mitigation factor that Leclerc was immediately apologetic.

«The Stewards while noting that the driver’s contrite behaviour conclude that a breach has occurred and a penalty is warranted. The Stewards do not consider that this breach reached the same level as the most recent case and as such chose to levy a fine of €10,000 with €5,000 suspended pending no repeat within 12 months.»

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Images

Verstappen therefore remains the only F1 driver to serve community service penalties, with the Dutchman previously joining the FIA stewards at the 2019 Formula E round in Marrakesh as an observer to gain a better understanding of how they worked.

Verstappen was given the penalty for shoving Esteban Ocon in parc ferme at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Later on, Verstappen also joined a meeting of the FIA’s International Stewards Programme as part of his community service.

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FIA assessing if Leclerc’s Mexico press conference swearing needs investigation

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The FIA is assessing if Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc should be investigated and possibly punished for swearing in the Mexico Grand Prix press conference, Autosport understands.

The incident follows Red Bull’s Max Verstappen receiving a community service punishment for swearing in the build-up to last month’s Singapore GP, which led to the Dutchman boycotting FIA press conferences.

The focus on driver swearing is part of an FIA initiative across all its championships to try and avoid its officials being on the receiving end of abuse – often from large, partisan fanbases of famous drivers – but has been interpreted as a clampdown on driver expression following comments by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in an interview with Autosport.

In Leclerc’s case, he was asked “what did you say to yourself when you brought the car back?” after finishing third in the Mexico City race won by his team-mate Carlos Sainz – referring to the moment he nearly crashed his Ferrari at the Peraltada corner in front of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Leclerc’s reply included the line: “I had one oversteer and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side and then I was like, ‘f**k’.”

He then added: “Oh, sorry! Oh, no, oh no! I don’t want to join Max!”

After the press conference, Leclerc was spoken to at length by the FIA’s media delegate, where it is understood Leclerc was again apologetic and understanding of why the discussion was taking place.

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, on the grid

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, on the grid

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

As with Verstappen’s case, his comments could be constituted as a breach of Article 12.2.1k of the FIA’s International Sporting Code.

The rule states it is an offence to issue “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA”.

After the press conference, Autosport understands the FIA media delegate had to report the incident to the governing body’s sporting officials and the stewards of the meeting.

They are now in discussions over whether to open a formal investigation into Leclerc’s comments – akin to how racing incidents are first noted by race control officials before being passed to the stewards.

It is unclear at this stage when this will be decided, but at the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP, Mercedes and Ferrari team bosses Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur were investigated for swearing in the Las Vegas event’s team principals’ press conference the previous week.

Therefore, the FIA could wait until next weekend’s Brazilian GP before announcing an investigation.

That’s if it ever gets that far because Autosport understands Leclerc’s multiple apologies are already being taken into consideration in the matter.



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Was secret front wing upgrade key to Ferrari’s US GP dominance?

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Ferrari’s dominance of the United States Grand Prix came on a weekend when it stood out from its rivals in not bringing any upgrades. Or, to be more accurate, none that it officially declared.

With closest challengers McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes all introducing developments at the Austin track, the FIA’s official submission sheet that details changes showed no tweaks to the Ferrari car.

But that does not tell the true story of Ferrari’s approach to the USA weekend, as there are certain tweaks teams can make that do not have to be declared.

Article 19.1c) of F1’s sporting regulations, which covers what items teams have to tell the FIA about, states that this includes «all major aerodynamic and bodywork components and assemblies that have not been run at a previous Competition or TCC [test] and are intended to be run at the competition.»

Indeed, after seeing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz take a 1-2 finish, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur repeated several times that just because no upgrades were declared, it did not mean the Prancing Horse did not have any.

«It is not that because we are not declaring something that we are not bringing something,» he said. «We have to be clear that the upgrades are about the external shape.»

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Ferrari

Ferrari did not elaborate on what exactly was new for Austin, but speculation has surrounded the possibility that it brought some new specification front wings.

While these externally are identical to what it first introduced in Singapore, insiders suggest Ferrari had spent some time since the last race working on optimising their construction to help exploit aero elasticity more.

In a season when having a more flexible front wing has been instrumental in better balancing a car – helping address the low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer characteristics of the current ground effect machinery – Ferrari had perhaps been too cautious at the start of the season.

And while it privately felt that others were pushing the boundaries too much in how much flexing was going on, recent FIA clarifications that such behaviour is allowed opened the door for Maranello to go down this route itself now too.

A more optimised flexi-wing is not something that will transform a car but, in a season where the gaps between teams are so close, it is a detail that can have an impact.

Speaking about the value of a good flexi front wing after what we saw in Austin, Vasseur said: «Clearly it is not a game-changer, but we are in the situation today that every single hundredth of a second is making a difference.

«In qualifying we had two or three cars behind us by less than one-tenth, and that meant if these details or another one are down to the hundredths of a second, then we have to do it.»

The new wing design that originally appeared in Singapore is an evolution of its predecessor, with many of the design features retained, albeit more deliberate in their approach.

In terms of the actual design changes to the wing, aside from the obvious flap geometry changes, the design of the spoon-shaped transition from the centre of the mainplane has been altered. This will, in turn, provide a different aerodynamic reaction from the nose assembly.

Ferrari SF-24 new front wing detail
Ferrari SF-24 old front wing detail

Meanwhile, the outboard section of the flaps has been redesigned where they mate with the endplate. This is in order to enhance the outwash effect being generated and alter the wake generated by the wheel and tyre assembly behind.

The new flap tips are much more roundly curved (left image, above) and the supporting metal work that had previously been employed has been cast aside, which will alter their dynamic behaviour as a consequence.

Ferrari is also undoubtedly benefiting from a wing designed with a greater ability to exploit aeroelasticity, given the FIA’s clearance of solutions fielded by its rivals in recent races.



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The factors that make the US GP weekend crucial to F1’s fight at the front

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After four weeks away, Formula 1 returns for a frantic six-race run in eight weeks, with Austin’s United States Grand Prix a crucial weekend across the grid as 2024’s final upgrades emerge.

The race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas is largely seen as the last major opportunity to unleash a last batch of car upgrades this season. Austin is the start of a triple-header that includes Mexico and Brazil, making it logistically the easiest place to introduce new parts.

Then follows another triple-header of Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to close off a hectic season. Some teams might bring new low-downforce items to outlier Vegas, although it is expected teams will generally re-use their wing specifications from Monza and especially Baku. And by Qatar it will have been too late to get a big return on investment, unless teams choose to trial parts for 2025.

So, whatever teams have had in the production pipeline over the last month will now start to emerge as teams make one final push to improve their fortunes. Austin is a sprint weekend, giving teams less practice time to dial updates in, but they have become accustomed to the format so their reluctance to bring upgrades to a sprint event is not as big as it used to be.

«We all know that we already started the development of the next year car and we try to do our best to have a small upgrades,» said Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur. «I think it will be probably the last one for everybody; that it will be true for us, but it will be true for the other teams. And now it’s so tight over the last four, five, six races, if you have a look on the grid, it may get tight and every single bit can make a difference.»

«It’s a natural point in the year that all teams will bring something to Austin,» Red Bull team boss Christian Horner added. «Ferrari has got something sizable. I think Mercedes, McLaren, they’ll all be bringing something.»

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

At the front McLaren leads by 41 points and looks primed to keep its advantage until the end of the year, based on its performance gap with Red Bull in recent races. But Red Bull has offered glimpses that it has finally understood where it has gone wrong with the development of its RB20. Yes, Max Verstappen finished a massive 21 seconds behind McLaren’s Lando Norris in Singapore but was still a clear second at Red Bull’s worst circuit. COTA’s flowing layout might offer a better picture of whether or not Red Bull has truly turned the corner.

That is the second reason why the Austin weekend is so key. It heralds a return to more traditional circuits featuring high-speed direction changes, contrasting with the most recent run of low-downforce tracks Monza and Baku, and a maximum downforce but low-speed street circuit in Singapore.

Austin will therefore offer a clearer picture of what the form table might look like until the end of the year, with only November’s race on the Las Vegas Strip the odd one out that’s closer to Baku in nature.

«What we’re looking to do is to build on the understanding that we have and take a car there that’s well balanced between both of its axles, it inspires the confidence of the driver,» Horner said. «It’s a very different challenge. There is that first sector is very high speed. They’ve resurfaced part of the circuit as well, so there’s another variable that’s thrown in.

«It’s a sprint weekend, so you’ve got to hit the ground running. But the whole team’s been working incredibly hard on understanding the issues, addressing them, and getting, hopefully, remedies on the car for Austin.»

While all attention has gone to McLaren’s battle against Red Bull, Ferrari may yet be in the fight, following just 34 points behind Red Bull in third. But the Scuderia is perhaps the team with the biggest question marks to answer this weekend, as it has struggled with high-speed bouncing on the most demanding circuits since the summer. Maranello’s solutions to that crippling problem have gone unproven on the atypical run of Monza, Baku and Singapore, so Austin will be the litmus test on whether or not Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have the tools to compete on COTA’s demanding configuration.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

«We are seeing the numbers that we expected, bringing those new parts on the car, but we still don’t have the definitive answer of how close we got to McLaren or Red Bull on a normal track,» Leclerc said. «I’m sure we did a step forward. How much? I think we’ll see that in Austin.»

Sainz remains cautious too until he sees Ferrari’s latest specification stretch its legs on «normal tracks», but feels Vegas will be Ferrari’s best bet to take another win this year.

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«I think every team has one more upgrade more or less in the pipeline that they’re going to try before the end of the year, so we could still see some swings in performance,» the Spaniard said. «At the same time, we’ve seen upgrades this year don’t [always] mean performance. It doesn’t always translate into lap time. It’s happened to us and other teams, Red Bull, Mercedes, except McLaren.

«What we need to see is if it makes a difference in Austin and Brazil, all the more old school normal tracks, basically. And then Vegas I think is our next big chance.»



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