The 2024 Japanese Grand Prix is likely going to be a difficult race for the Scuderia Ferrari team.
There’s more than one reason that plausibly hints at this direction.
And Ferrari as well as Formula 1’s latest Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz (win at Melbourne, Australia) beginning from the second row with Charles Leclerc down in eighth is not the only cause of this line of thinking, which to many could well be just a gumption.
Truth be told, on a day where the McLarens found great grip on the straights and the tight corners of a really fast high -downforce track, their closest rivals in the Constructors fight, i.e., Ferrari were found grappling with exactly the same issues.
Even as there was some respite in FP1 where Sainz finished third just behind the two menacingly quick Red Bulls, there wasn’t much that went the red team’s way in the qualifying run that actually mattered.
For starters, right after his outlap, the in-form Carlos Sainz first set a run that was decent for a top six time, which wasn’t anything lethal to Ferrari’s rivals but would later, find a way to place his SF-24 on fourth on the grid.
At the same time, Charles Leclerc, who had seemed far from menacing for much of Saturday had his own issues to grapple with in his final flying run in Q3.
Source– F1 Chronicle
After a sluggish start to his final lap in the Q3 run, the Monegasque suddenly found enough pace to set a purple patch at Suzuka’s middle sector before completely losing the required pace in the final sector. This, according to Leclerc, who’s been involved in a front row start at the Japanese Grand Prix before, was unusual and much against explication.
The spring of surprises, to that end, didn’t exclusively belong to Ferrari; Lewis Hamilton , who happens to be a five-time winner here at the land of the samurais was confronting his own doubts.
“Where’s that half a second man,” wondered the 2020 world champion when pondering his gap to the track position holder Verstappen.
Source– F1 Chronicle
Sainz could do no better than fourth and Leclerc who finds himself sandwiched between the Lewis, in P7 and Russell, down in P9 could be anxious on Sunday.
Where historical perceive offers insight, then purely by 2022 and 2023 runs, Carlos Sainz jr. needs to run a strong 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. Why? The last time he came to Suzuka, he managed a lowly sixth while the year before, he happened to record a DNF at the venue.
On the other end, however, Leclerc, who’s anything but a happy man at the end of the qualifying at Suzuka enjoyed a podium in 2022. But victory has certainly eluded the man from Monaco.
All said and done, even if Ferrari are anticipating a solitary podium on Sunday, which is the most realistic aim, to be honest, (since only one of the two cars are placed inside the top five on the grid basis quali), it won’t be easy for Carlos Sainz.
Right ahead of the SF-24 #55, is the McLaren of Lando Norris. It’s going to be a daunting task in itself for the Madrid-born to lunge ahead of the MCL 38, the car that was nearly three tenths quicker than Ferrari on the straights and more aggressive for the Italian stable’s comfort as seen on Saturday.
However, that’s not all to Sainz’s possible predicament.
It’ll be a real challenge to keep a ballsy Fernando Alonso off the attack, the veteran legend of the sport breathing on Sainz’s Ferrari’s tails in beginning from fifth.
Who knows what shape might the battle between the cars placed on third, fourth and fifth, respectively, take?
While Sainz will be itching to make a move early on in the race, he’ll have the pressure on him to execute a clean getaway first. Ditto for Charles; Mercedes aren’t going to cut him any slack.
The Silver Arrows will consider it a moral victory of sorts to keep the usually rampant Ferrari quiet on what could be an action packed outing at Suzuka.