Although he finished the day with the best time, the man from Madrid will lose at least ten positions on the starting grid on Sunday due to the replacement of various parts of his Ferrari.
If the rehearsals of the first day of a Grand Prix usually leave few conclusions and action, it happened even more this Friday at Paul Ricard. The track where the French GP will be held on Sunday has been laid out on a sea of asphalt without any penalty for going off track past the high curbs that left a piece of dislodged carbon fiber on Friday. For this reason, the penalty that Carlos Sainz will receive on Sunday will probably be accepted with a little more calm. The fire that his Ferrari had in the Austrian GP forces the Scuderia to fit several new parts, something that will only be confirmed at the last minute for strategic reasons. The first piece has already been installed this Friday: a new switchboard that already assumes ten penalty points as the third of the season. Predictably, this Saturday will come with confirmation that it will premiere some more and that Sainz will therefore finish at the bottom of the grid.
Not bad news, seen in context. Since the engine was completely shut down in the Red Bull Ring, it is clear to Ferrari that sooner or later they will have to release a completely new one, so it is better to do it in France, where overtaking is more than feasible, than in Hungary within a week. , where even DRS doesn’t encourage overshoots. It became clear to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, when he got stuck behind Fernando Alonso for a while. At the moment, Ferrari’s planning strategy is optimal. It gives them time to screw up in the race, which is more typical.
Apart from this serious handicap that Sainz will have on Sunday, this Friday it was seen in free practice that Ferrari is doing very well. Charles Leclerc, who will be first sword (and this time there will be no doubt), was fastest in the morning session, but then second to just over a tenth of his partner. Max Verstappen was not at the level of the Prancing Horse drivers, but as a good poker player he will get his head in the standings next Saturday. Predictable like few others, Red Bull is aware that chest-pull isn’t good for much in free practice.
On a dull Friday and without much news on the track, Fernando Alonso and Alpine left dubious sensations. The Spaniard set the eleventh fastest time in the second free practice, which points to a clear diagnosis: moving up to Q3 on the home circuit will be the main goal for next Saturday. The degradation of the soft tires is very high (50ºC was exceeded on the Paul Ricard tarmac), which does not allow for a breakdown. The right round must come out the first time or that game must be discarded.
the coming war
If there was little action on the track, there is a real hurricane in the FIA offices. The serious problems of ‘porpoises’ that several teams, especially Mercedes (it is no coincidence), have suffered, prompted the federation technicians to take immediate measures. Although the announcement was made on June 16, a month later they are still waiting for it to be implemented… although you won’t see much rebound in W13. This has left many teams on alert, especially as the proposal to measure that field (that was just to put a sensor) has been delayed to the point that it won’t be seen again until the Belgian GP, to allow the corner holiday.
It’s no small matter. The FIA is reconsidering the technical concept on which they drew up this regulation, which all teams with uneven results have been working on. While Red Bull and especially Ferrari have taken a step forward, Mercedes has taken it back. The changes proposed by the FIA’s Technical Commission (raising the edges of the floor, introducing stricter lateral flex tests and others) have been directly opposed by teams that have been able to solve their ‘porpoise’ problems without the need for modification of the regulations. Ferrari, Red Bull, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo, Haas and Williams have protested because they believe the FIA’s plan would involve direct aid to Mercedes, a formidable competitor already working on such adjustments.
“The changes are so extreme for 2023 because Mercedes claims they have found 40% more downforce for next year, so they have urged the FIA to take action. If Mercedes actually did it then it is better to give them the championship now,” an unnamed team principal told Autosport. The war is served.
Source: La Verdad
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
