So in one sense it\u2019s entirely unsurprising that Ferrari has a habit, even in some of its worst seasons, of turning up and putting up a fight at its home Italian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Could Charles Leclerc really pip McLaren to pole? Could he record consecutive victories in Monza?<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
The super-tight FP2 results suggest he can \u2014 but they also suggest he\u2019ll have more than just two rivals for top spot on the grid.<\/p>\n
PIT TALK PODCAST: Oscar Piastri controlled the Dutch Grand Prix for a deserved victory but lucked into a massive points swing when Lando Norris retired from second place with engine trouble. Now 34 points up the road, is it Piastri\u2019s championship to lose?<\/p>\n
NORRIS LEADS, BUT NOT BY MUCH<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve grown accustomed to McLaren enjoying a commanding advantage by the end of Friday, but its usual dominance was nowhere to be seen in Monza.<\/p>\n
FP1 started with Lewis Hamilton leading Leclerc to lock out the top two spots, and while Lando Norris resumed regular programming by topping FP2, his margin was a tiny 0.083 seconds to Leclerc.<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz followed in third for Williams, with Oscar Piastri, Hamilton and Max Verstappen following in a tight pack of six drivers separated by just 0.199 seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cPleased-ish,\u201d Norris said, reflecting on his position. \u201cIt looks just a bit close for my liking at the minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a surprise. We were expecting that kind of thing. I definitely think we don\u2019t perform quite to the same level in these kinds of low-downforce conditions as we do when we\u2019re at a high downforce.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe competitors catch up, it looks a bit closer and it makes our life a bit trickier, but I think we\u2019re still in a reasonable place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri ended the day 0.181 seconds behind his teammate, which was a big enough gap to drop him to fourth in the order.<\/p>\n
But his deficit is all down to two key areas.<\/p>\n
The two right-handed Lesmo corners in the middle sector cost Piastri around 0.1 seconds. He makes back some of that through the final Ascari chicane, but then a snap of oversteer through Parabolica, blowing out what had looked set to be a margin of around 0.08 seconds by another tenth.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s perhaps not surprising that Piastri would lose time at least in the Lesmo corners.<\/p>\n
The Australian was forced to sit out FP1 to give McLaren junior Alex Dunne a spin after Norris had done the same in Austria.<\/p>\n
In FP1 we saw Norris \u2014 and many others \u2014 off the road at the Lesmo corner, which proved tricky for him to master, but by FP2 he was the fastest driver through that section of track among the top six runners.<\/p>\n
It would be entirely unsurprising to see Piastri find his rhythm through there by FP3 and eliminate the gap completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously not doing FP1, I had a bit of catching up to do in FP2, but I felt like I hit the ground running,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe car felt pretty good. I just got the set-up maybe a little bit wrong on the soft. The second lap was pretty decent considering it was a second lap on a tyre.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m feeling pretty good. I just need to tweak a little bit more tomorrow and find a little bit more pace \u2014 like usual.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s no guarantee that means it\u2019ll be the usual straight fight for pole between them.<\/p>\n
Piastri extends lead with clinical win | 04:13<\/p>\n
FERRARI HOPEFUL OF POLE AT HOME RACE<\/p>\n
After the double-DNF disaster of the Dutch Grand Prix, Ferrari has done what Ferrari usually does: turn up to Monza and look competitive.<\/p>\n
Leclerc was only 0.083 seconds slower than Norris, but his lap time was generated in a totally different way.<\/p>\n
Ferrari was by far the fastest car down the straights but traded that speed for losses through the corners. Despite the lack of downforce, Leclerc was competitive through the chicanes, but his set-up cost him most severely through the Lesmo corners \u2014 he was around 0.05 seconds up on Norris approaching the first right-hander but 0.13 seconds down exiting the second.<\/p>\n
But the Ferrari star\u2019s 10-kilometre-per-hour advantage down the front straight \u2014 along with similar advantages at the end of every other straight \u2014 was enough to almost neutralise those differences.<\/p>\n
And that has Leclerc optimistic that pole position \u2014 what would be the 28th of his career and his third in Monza \u2014 is within his reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s on the cards,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know how much Red Bull and McLaren have pushed just yet. I think they have more than what we have in the pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still need to improve the car, but if we do, then I think there\u2019s a possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Leclerc also had an eye towards the race.<\/p>\n
Last season he won the grand prix from fourth on the grid thanks in part to a strong launch but also to a perfectly managed one-stop strategy that caught McLaren by surprise.<\/p>\n
While a one-stop strategy appears more likely this year for most teams, there\u2019s still scope for movement through the pit stop window given the undercut \u2014 the benefit of fresh tyres on their first lap \u2014 is always powerful at Monza.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn low fuel and high fuel it\u2019s been quite tricky but fast,\u201d he said. \u201dI\u2019d rather be in this position than having a consistent car that\u2019s slow, but we need to work a little bit on consistency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think on the short runs we managed to extract more or less what there was in the car. However, for tomorrow we need to get that consistency, and we are working on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferrari will have more than just McLaren to compete with, however.<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing looks much better than it did this time last year, when the scale of its downturn was most obvious, with Verstappen qualifying seventh and finishing a distant sixth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we seem a lot more competitive,\u201d Verstappen said. \u201cI\u2019ve been happy with the car as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall it\u2019s been quite a decent Friday I think for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been treated to some nailbiting qualifying sessions already this season. The average pole margin has been just 0.114 seconds, and the last three qualifying sessions have all been decided by less than 0.09 seconds.<\/p>\n
With three teams in contention, Monza could be another thriller.<\/p>\n
Ice cool Piastri ‘in control’ after win | 01:29<\/p>\n
WHY IS IT SO MUCH CLOSER THAN USUAL?<\/p>\n
The closeness of the field reflects the particular challenge of Monza\u2019s extreme layout, the fastest in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
The track is essentially a series of long straights broken up by chicanes. The two Lesmo corners and Parabolica are the only exceptions, but as the difference between Norris and Leclerc showed, it\u2019s possible to set up a car purely for straight-line speed and still emerge with a similar lap time to someone compromising for cornering performance.<\/p>\n
That simplifies the set-up challenge. There\u2019s no need to account for a wide range cornering speeds like at other tracks.<\/p>\n
The second element is that the track, which was completely resurfaced last year, is now much smoother than it used to be. The lack of bumps characteristic of an older road takes away another potential set-up compromise \u2014 that is, cars can be run even lower to the ground in the knowledge there will be no surprise lumps of asphalt rising from the surface to damage the floor or wear away the plank. That element is enhanced by Monza\u2019s kerbs being flattened over the years and the fact there\u2019s very little elevation change around the course.<\/p>\n
Both of these things are a boon for Ferrari in particular, whose finicky, particular car prefers smooth surfaces that allow it to run with a consistently low ride height.<\/p>\n
It also neutralises some of the advantages of the McLaren car, which has a wide operating window that puts it a step ahead on more technical tracks that make more varied demands of the machinery.<\/p>\n
The final element is that virtually everyone runs with as little downforce as possible. Particularly in this ground-effect era, the process of adding downforce to the car is difficult and can result in significant changes to the way the car handles, which can be good or bad depending on the circuit.<\/p>\n
But when everyone effectively strips away as much downforce as possible, the performance profiles of the cars become more similar.<\/p>\n
The result is the 0.2-second spread between the top six drivers representing four different teams.<\/p>\n
There are other cars that have benefited from the demands of this track.<\/p>\n
Williams has emerged not just as the top midfield contender but as a possible interloper among the top four teams. Mercedes appeared to struggle for one-lap pace in particular \u2014 and Andrea Kimi Antonelli failed to complete FP2 after beaching his car in the gravel \u2014 which could leave one or both of its drivers vulnerable to Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, both of whom were competitive on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pace is there, we were quick,\u201d Sainz said. \u201cOn long runs, short runs, the balance felt in a decent window.\u201d<\/p>\n
Albon was optimistic this could be an importantly lucrative weekend for the team, whose lead for fifth in the championship is down to just 18 points ahead of Aston Martin and 20 points ahead of Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n
\u201c[We can fight for] good points for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always come here, we\u2019ve always focused on the top of the midfield, and I think we can. We\u2019ve got reasonable car pace today, so let\u2019s see if it carries on.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Rookie mistake’ costs Leclerc his race | 01:23<\/p>\n
SLIPSTREAM GAMES SET TO DOMINATE QUALIFYING<\/p>\n
The compressed field means tiny differences in qualifying could be the difference between making it through to Q3 or being knocked out in Q2 or even Q1 \u2014 nine of the 10 teams \u2014 Alpine excluded, the Renault engine being the least powerful \u2014 were spread over just 0.73 seconds.<\/p>\n
That means we\u2019re virtually guaranteed to see plenty of slipstreaming games in qualifying.<\/p>\n
The value of the slipstream has been diminished under this set of regulations. Because ground-effect cars produce less wake than previous-generation machines, they also produce less tow. Some estimate the benefit of a perfectly managed slipstream to top out at 0.2 seconds.<\/p>\n
But given 0.2 seconds covered four different teams, that historically relatively small difference could have big consequences to the qualifying order.<\/p>\n
And qualifying position usually has significant consequences to finishing order.<\/p>\n
While on paper Monza features plenty of passing opportunities, in reality overtaking is often difficult.<\/p>\n
Ironically it\u2019s partly because the field is so close \u2014 that is, there aren\u2019t the usual bigger performance gaps between the cars that would promote overtaking.<\/p>\n
And despite the long straights, the drag reduction system isn\u2019t especially effective here \u2014 because every team\u2019s rear wing is already so shallow to improve straight-line speed, there\u2019s not much drag left to reduce.<\/p>\n
A big qualifying result can therefore lead to a big race result.<\/p>\n
Nailing the slipstream for maximum benefit, however, is extremely tricky.<\/p>\n
For one, every other driver will be on track thinking the same thing, and they can\u2019t all be the second driver in a tow.<\/p>\n
But that immutable fact hasn\u2019t prevented the sort of shenanigans typical of this place \u2014 like in Q3 in 2019, when so many drivers were so focused on trying to pick up a slipstream that seven of them failed to set a lap at all.<\/p>\n
The alternative to trying to pick up an \u2018organic\u2019 slipstream is to organise one with your teammate.<\/p>\n
Of course the downside of this approach is that one car must be sacrificed to give the slipstream.<\/p>\n
In Q1 and Q2 the fastest cars can often get away with giving each driver a run each. In Q3, however, there isn\u2019t enough time to be fair. Only one of them can be set up for the optimal run on the final flying lap.<\/p>\n
It puts Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton in an interesting position.<\/p>\n
Hamilton has had the pace through Friday to match Leclerc, but he carries a five-place grid penalty into the weekend for a yellow flag infringement from last weekend in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
Assuming he makes it through to Q3, he would be an obvious candidate to try to tow Leclerc to pole, albeit at the expense of what could be a bottom-10 starting position after serving his penalty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure whether they will do that this weekend, it\u2019s not been discussed,\u201d he said ahead of the weekend. \u201cBut if it meant getting Charles there [to pole], then I would be happy to play that role.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that will force any other teams with both drivers in the top 10 into some interesting discussions about their own strategies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a synergy between Ferrari\u2019s DNA and the soul of the Autodromo Internazionale Monza. Enzo Ferrari, the team\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64462,12295,86005,64,63,3159,86015,85994,85993,86006,4971,13275,86003,86012,24585,15186,81130,2057,86004,817,86001,86017,85999,813,816,841,85987,49575,59982,85996,43485,86008,86013,86010,1737,21772,86018,85998,86000,16255,86011,36511,85997,31299,2119,16280,86016,84224,86014,14218,85995,85989,18904,81128,86002,85991,85990,86007,85988,85,28099,85986,2062,85992,86009],"class_list":["post-122153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-alex-dunne","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-asphalt-rising","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-austria","tag-average-pole-margin","tag-bit-close","tag-bumps-characteristic","tag-car-handles","tag-carlos-sainz","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-competitors-catch","tag-compressed-field-means","tag-drag-reduction-system","tag-engine-failure","tag-engine-trouble","tag-europe","tag-extreme-layout","tag-f1","tag-final-element","tag-final-flying-lap","tag-five-place-grid-penalty","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-grand-prix","tag-ground-effect-cars-produce","tag-ground-effect-era","tag-home-italian","tag-home-pole","tag-horror-day","tag-horsepower-rules","tag-interesting-discussions","tag-interesting-position","tag-lando-norris","tag-lap-time","tag-low-downforce-conditions","tag-maximum-benefit","tag-nailbiting-qualifying-sessions","tag-netherlands","tag-one-lap-pace","tag-one-stop-strategy","tag-performance-profiles","tag-pit-stop-window","tag-pit-talk","tag-pole-position","tag-previous-generation-machines","tag-qualifying-result","tag-qualifying-sessions","tag-race-result","tag-reasonable-car-pace","tag-regular-programming","tag-ride-height","tag-rookie-mistake","tag-sector-cost","tag-set-up-challenge","tag-set-up-compromise","tag-set-up-cost","tag-slipstream-games","tag-sports","tag-straight-line-speed","tag-top-midfield-contender","tag-western-europe","tag-wide-operating-window","tag-yellow-flag-infringement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}