Ferrari’s first day in Shanghai ended with P5 for Carlos Sainz and P7 for Charles Leclerc. The Sprint Qualifying was heavily impacted by the rain, mainly in SQ2. There was pure chaos in wet conditions as drivers struggled to find grip. Charles Leclerc even made contact with the barriers, damaging the front wing and being forced to enter the pits. It was the first competitive session in wet conditions this year. As such, it gave teams an idea of how their cars perform in damp conditions. Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has explained the Scuderia’s strategy for the weekend.
VASSEUR: “WE KEPT ONE MORE SET OF TYRES THAN THE OTHERS. PENALTY FOR NORRIS? IT’S NOT WRITTEN IN THE RULES.”
After the end of the Sprint Qualifying session, Fred Vasseur explained to Sky Sports Ferrari’s approach to this weekend. “The situation is the same for everyone. It was difficult to get the tyres up to temperature. There was little grip on the track, and the bitumen used certainly didn’t help the drivers, and it was the first session in the rain. We must learn from this session, even if we don’t expect rain for the rest of the weekend.”
To complicate everything, as we already knew, there was a lack of data available with these cars on the Shanghai circuit, which had not been raced for five years. “It’s about being quicker than others to understand and react. We set up the weekend always thinking about giving priority to Sunday’s race.”
During FP1, Ferrari used only one set of Soft tyres. As per the regulations, two sets of mediums were used in SPQ1 and SPQ2. Intermediates were then required in the final session. The Maranello-based outfit is basing its tyre allocations on maximising the result on Sunday.
“We were the only ones to keep an extra set of Hard and Medium tyres for the race. This can be both an advantage for tomorrow, where the others will use a used compound and something that can help us in view of Sunday,” declared Vasseur.
There are still a few certainties ahead of the next few days, with a somewhat blind approach based on simulations and first sensations. “Tomorrow will be an opportunity to score points, but we will have to choose the compound well. We have to see it as a starting point for Sunday.”
In terms of the Sprint Qualifying, Vasseur still hadn’t spoken in depth with his drivers when speaking to the media. He was unable to comment accurately on how much lap time was on the table in today’s shootout.
Regarding what happened with Lando Norris, Vasseur clarified that “the rule that the lap after a track limit is cancelled is not in the regulations. It should be reported in the weekend notes. But it isn’t there, so everything is fine, and Norris didn’t take advantage.”
