Vasseur praises Ferrari's strong race pace in Jeddah FP2
Ferrari's Friday practice in Saudi Arabia revealed strong race simulation performance, with both Leclerc and Sainz impressing, despite the latter battling an illness.
The Friday free practice sessions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proved positive for Ferrari, despite not leading the timesheets.
Both the SF-24 cars demonstrated impressive race pace potential.
Race Simulation
As highlighted by team principal Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari's race simulation runs were particularly encouraging.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz posted competitive times on both the Soft and Medium compounds, trailing only the peerless Max Verstappen.
"Overall, it was the session we were expecting," began the Ferrari team principal.
"Regarding the single lap, it's hard to comment because I'm not entirely sure we were all on the same fuel loads. But the session went well, and we managed to do two good laps."
Sainz battles Illness
While praising Sainz's efforts, Vasseur acknowledged the Spaniard was hindered by a bout of gastroenteritis.
"It was complicated for Carlos because he wasn't feeling well. However, he did a good job considering his condition."
The Ferrari drivers split their strategy, Leclerc conducted his race simulation on the Soft tyres, while Sainz opted for the Mediums.
Vasseur explained this allowed them to evaluate the Softs' performance for potential race scenarios, building on last year's experiences.
Set ups
Regarding aerodynamic configurations, Vasseur expects most teams to converge on similar downforce levels for qualifying and the race, barring a few exceptions.
Ferrari ran higher rear wings on Friday working on race simulation and tyre degradation.
While lacking outright pace over one lap, Ferrari's strong race simulation runs provided encouraging signs ahead of Sunday's grand prix.
Vasseur appears confident in his team's long run performance, a crucial factor for race day success.
Comments ()