Ferrari seeking answers to car inconsistency
Ferrari seeking answers to car inconsistency
Ferrari is struggling to understand the inconsistencies between its car's qualifying and race pace after it delivered a “mixed result” in Portugal.
McLaren driver Lando Norris claimed a best-of-the-rest fifth spot behind F1 title rivals Mercedes and Red Bull after Carlos Sainz's season-high fifth in qualifying ended in a points-less finish, while Charles Leclerc was sixth.
The team suffered a notable drop in pace between qualifying and the race at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, an issue for which answers are still being sought after the performance in Portimão.
Asked whether the car is as consistent in qualifying as it is in the race, team principal Mattia Binotto said: “I think that in Bahrain this wasn’t the case, mainly because of overheating. That is something we analysed and we understood the reasons.
“In Imola, it’s difficult to say. It was a wet race but from what we’ve seen, we were certainly as competitive in the race as in quail.
“Now, the situation in Portugal, I think the first stint of Carlos on the soft he was as competitive as Norris if not better, but that was not the case in the second stint with the medium.
“So it’s a mixed result that needs to be analysed so we can understand. I don’t think there is a clear conclusion yet.”
Sainz was disappointed not to be able to deliver on the promise he had shown in the Saturday qualifying session, and said the challenges were down to significant graining on the tyres.
With the team now preparing for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Sainz will be hoping for a much-improved performance in what will be his first home race while driving for Ferrari.
“Clearly the hard was a stronger tyre," assessed Sainz. "We struggled a lot with the medium and we still have to understand why we were so prone to graining on that tyre.
“In hindsight we would have done things differently but with the data we had available we thought [our] strategy would be okay. It clearly wasn’t, and we have a lot to analyse and go through.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Newey tipped to POACH key Red Bull staff if he joins F1 rivals
- 54 minutes ago
F1 paddock favourite admits immense DOUBTS over Verstappen Red Bull future
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton F1 rival makes SURPRISE claim about Ferrari move
- 2 hours ago
Schumacher names shock F1 star to replace Hulkenberg at Haas
- 3 hours ago
Hamilton in Arsenal title wish after STUNNING revelation
- Today 15:05
F1 boss 'in early talks' to SELL 25 percent of team
- Today 13:57
Related news
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
Sainz manager speaks out on 'game playing' over contract
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860