Las Vegas’ low grip circuit and cold temperatures have returned Ferrari’s tyre struggles to the spotlight.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz noted struggles to get tyres up to temperature in FP1 and FP2 at the Vegas Grand Prix, an issue that has plagued the Maranello-based team throughout 2024.
In 2023, Scuderia Ferrari found themselves able to get ahead of the unstoppable Red Bull in qualifying on multiple occasions. However, come Sunday, the prancing horses lacked the race pace to convert the pole positions into wins.
Ferrari took a different avenue for 2024. Changing their car design, the Maranello-based team focused on race performance. This emphasis on reducing tyre degradation has been largely beneficial for race days. But it impacted the ability of the SF-24 to produce the one-lap pace seen in 2023.
Throughout this season both Ferrari drivers have complained about tyre preparation in qualifying and how difficult it has been to get the tyres up to the ideal temperature. Often leaving the prancing horses further down the starting grid than expected.
Las Vegas has highlighted this again for the team due to the smooth track surface with long straights and only a few medium and high-speed corners.
Qualifying concerns
Carlos Sainz explained how the temperature played a huge role in the changing grip levels. He told Autosport:
“Those first laps in FP1 were the lowest grip I think since Turkey 2020, where we had those crazy low grip conditions. Through the day the track ramped up and picked up some grip. But with that also, the temperature came down as we got more into the night and then everything seemed a bit more complicated.”
However, he noted how it wasn’t only Ferrari struggling with these conditions, saying, “I think everyone’s in the same boat; it’s a very fine line between having the tyres ready, and not ready in sector one and from then on, it can snowball into a very good lap or a very bad lap. So yeah, it is a different track.”
Ferrari found themselves P4 and P5 in FP2, only behind Mercedes and Lando Norris. Yet the Spaniard admitted he felt that the team wasn’t “performing as strong as everyone was thinking.”
Charles Leclerc took a more positive line when discussing Friday’s performance. Saying, “It’s better to be in our position” when talking about sacrificing qualifying for race performance.
He also said, “We expected it to happen, as we are struggling a little bit to put the tyres in temperature. I think Mercedes looks very, very strong. They’ve been a bit more aggressive on tyres all year long.
“All in all, I think we are very strong in race pace, a bit less strong in quali. It’s been a bit the story of our season, but it’s better that way than the opposite.”
Last year saw impressive and interesting racing at Vegas with overtaking coming easily to drivers up and down the grid. Leclerc hopes that continues this year. He admitted that because the team are “a bit far” from the qualifying pace, they hope to make up ground on race day.
FIA parts ban
Tyre temperature isn’t the only point of contention for Ferrari this weekend.
A parts ban by the FIA might force both Ferrari and Mercedes to raise their ride height after controversy over a protective component found on the car’s floors. The part allowed both teams to run the cars lower to the ground without damaging the plank, giving them more performance.
It is unclear yet to what extent, but it could negatively affect both team’s performance.
Featured Image Credit: Scuderia Ferrari photo gallery