In the only free practice session of the Sprint weekend, most teams conducted simulations with an empty fuel tank, so we have few references for Sunday.
The last Sprint weekend of the 2024 season at the Lusail circuit in Qatar. The only title still up for grabs is the Constructors’ Championship, with McLaren leading by 24 points over Ferrari and 53 over Red Bull. The fastest in the only free practice session of the weekend was Charles Leclerc, ahead of the McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with Ferrari surprisingly showing great pace on the softest tire compound.
The Lusail circuit is a high-downforce track, featuring numerous fast corners, such as the sequence of turns 12-13-14, all of them high-speed right-handers. There are few overtaking opportunities, mostly limited to the main straight.
In 2023, McLaren was definitely the car that adapted best to this layout, even managing to secure a victory in the Sprint Race with Oscar Piastri. In 2024, the script is unlikely to change much, with the Woking-based team remaining the favorite for this weekend. However, Red Bull should not be underestimated, having won in 2023 with Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc was the fastest in the qualifying simulation, but he provided few insights into the race pace.
A key issue will certainly be tyre wear: let’s remember the curious situation from last year, when, before the race, the FIA set a maximum limit of 18 laps for a single set of new tires. As a result, all drivers were forced to make 3 pit stops. However, this was mainly due to the presence of pyramid-shaped curbs. These curbs have now been smoothed out, and Pirelli has already conducted tests with the new layouts.
Pirelli has brought the hardest tire compounds, namely C1, C2, and C3, just like for last year’s first edition. However, unlike in 2023, the temperatures are lower this time, which could present more challenges both in terms of graining and tire warm-up.
Analysis of the FP1 Qatar race pace: the times this afternoon.
As often happens in Sprint weekends, there are no reliable references from the race pace simulation, with many teams conducting long runs with low fuel loads, before switching to qualifying simulations in the final two minutes.
Certainly, the most reliable long run was from Red Bull’s Verstappen, who completed 10 laps, starting from a 1:29 and then dropping to as low as 1:26.984. There were no significant signs of degradation on the medium tire, which therefore looks set to be the ideal tire for Sunday’s race.
An interesting simulation also came from Mercedes, with George Russell generally being two seconds per lap faster than Verstappen, clearly indicating the different strategies of the two teams. In an interview at the end of the session with Sky Sport F1, Toto Wolff expressed confidence for Sunday’s race, stating that the race pace of the Silver Arrows is only surpassed by that of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.
Oscar Piastri was the fastest in the long run, completing 6 consistent laps around 1:24, although this race simulation was likely done with a much lighter fuel load than Red Bull’s, possibly with an eye on the Sprint race scheduled for 5 PM local time.
As for Ferrari, during the session, Marc Genè stated to Sky that the Maranello team did not plan to carry out a proper race simulation. Instead, they opted for a small long run to deplete the fuel tank, in preparation for the qualifying simulation, which was carried out at the end of the session using the C3 tire.
PHOTO: F1, GPKingdom.