A difficult Friday for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in Spain

Friday, Ferrari took advantage of the first two free practice sessions to evaluate aerodynamic updates introduced earlier than planned. If the initial results are encouraging, there is still work to be done to make the most of the SF-24.

Carlos Sainz, equipped with the new components, set the third best time in 1’14″572. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, could not complete his fast lap due to a red flag caused by Fernando Alonso. He eventually clocked a 1’15″434 with less performing tires.

The Spaniard then confirmed his good form in FP2 by claiming second place in 1’13″286. But the Monegasque, still searching for the ideal balance, finished with a 1’13″597.

The Ferrari team will analyze in detail the data collected during the free practice sessions in order to optimize the car’s package for qualifying and the race. “Tomorrow’s final free practice sessions will be crucial to find the perfect settings before the qualifying session,” the team said in a press release.

Ferrari drivers with mixed reviews.

Carlos Sainz is reasonably satisfied with the car, but acknowledges that there is still work to be done, especially in terms of race pace. A rather complicated Friday, as always here in Barcelona when the sun shines and the track evolves quickly. We struggled in both sessions to find the right balance of the car, but I think everyone had similar problems today », he comments.

« Overall, I am reasonably satisfied with the car, but we have work to do, especially in terms of race pace ». He also appreciates the atmosphere on the track and thanks the fans for their support.

On his side, Charles Leclerc said he had a difficult day with car balance issues. Setting adjustments will therefore be our main focus before tomorrow (Saturday). We used a new package during the FP2, but we still have a lot of work to do because I am not yet fully comfortable.

Meet for FP3 at 12:30 to find out if he is luckier this Saturday.