Ferrari, Friday’s second force in Italy
In both morning and afternoon sessions, Räikkönen and Vettel moved up to third and fourth positions, reversing their positions between the two sessions. The satisfaction of having a good car at home, reinvigorated by a new engine, is there for all to see; but the gap to the German leaders remains...
« Positive sensations » for Vettel
FP1: 4th -> 1:24.307 (17 Laps); FP2: 3rd -> 1:23.254 (33 Laps)
Although his morning was somewhat subdued, particularly compared to his teammate, Sebastian Vettel’s program showed more promise for the rest of the day.
After focusing on evaluating the various aerodynamic elements of his SF16-H, the four-time world champion concentrated on qualifying simulations at the end of the morning and beginning of FP2, then prepared for race stints at the end of FP2. Two sets of tires were used: the soft to start on one stint and the super-soft, on two stints with a pit stop in between. His first impression seems quite good:
« Even if Friday is not the most important day of our weekend, it is already essential to have progressed at a decent speed. Generally, the car behaves well, but we need to improve from where we are. We need to be comfortable in every corner and put all the details together. »
With a lap time 0.453s behind the benchmark Lewis Hamilton but ahead of the first Red Bull (Verstappen, P5) by nearly half a second as well, should the driver marked with number 5 be looking upwards?
Promising for the Tifosi, Vettel still needs to work to gain a few more tenths:
« The feeling is not optimal yet, we still need to adjust our car to gain a bit more performance. »
A performance strengthened by the Italian engineers’ decision to use their last engine development tokens in this 2016 season. Ferrari does not expect huge gains from it, but it could allow them to head into the next season with more confidence. For now, what did Vettel think of his boosted ride?
My first impression is positive. We have a new engine, so I think we have done the expected work. Obviously, we try a lot of things on Friday, so we have to wait until tomorrow and then Sunday to see where we will be. We still need to improve the car, focusing only on ourselves.
The end of this statement may seem interesting, particularly in such a context where every move and gesture of the Italian team is dissected, analyzed, discussed in Monza.
That being said, very attached to the history of Formula 1, the German driver reacted to the recent extension of the circuit, the setting for the Italian Grand Prix for three more years.
« It’s really good news that Monza remains on the calendar. We need this track, it’s fantastic. Monza belongs to history, to the tradition of racing. »
Kimi Räikkönen: There are still things to improve but the feeling with the car was ok.
FP1: 3rd -> 1:24.047 (16 Laps); FP2: 4th -> 1:23.427 (28 Laps)
Besides Vettel, “Iceman” also seems to be in the game.
The morning session went smoothly. The second one was a bit more complicated with the new tires and yellow flags, but beyond that, it wasn’t too bad, the feeling with the car was okay.
And for good reason, the Finn’s program was interrupted in the afternoon by a cut on one of his tires, forcing him to return to the pits!
Nevertheless, the latter is satisfied with his day aboard the Ferrari:
« We are starting correctly this weekend. The new engine is a small step forward, it’s part of our progress. We are trying to improve all the parts of our car, in my opinion, we are heading in the right direction. »
Usually sparing with words, the 2007 world champion nonetheless paid tribute to the supporters:
The atmosphere here in Monza is always very pleasant with the many fans. Now, we have to do great things on this track.
Despite a still significant gap to the Mercedes (around half a second difference on a flying lap), the Ferrari team is at least in a position to save face at home. Let’s remember that the Italian firm is only third in the constructors’ standings, 22 points behind Red Bull. After an epic last race at Spa-Francorchamps, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen will at least be aiming to bring a simple podium to the Tifosi… As for victory, it seems reasonably out of reach, barring a miracle, conditioned by favorable race circumstances.
The goal will be to make a good impression starting tomorrow, with the potential visit of Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the FIAT group and president of Ferrari. The high-ranking executive will conduct the traditional visit to his troops and will undoubtedly comment on the recent performances of his protégé…
