The one in Las Vegas was shaping up to be an atypical track that could reshuffle the cards somewhat and, in this sense, the first day of free practice immediately gave food for thought.
As expected, the low grip levels and extremely low temperatures, which reached 13° on the asphalt during FP2, had a quite significant impact on both the cars' one-lap performance and the handling of the tires on a long lap. run.
The issue of tires is undoubtedly the one that will attract the most attention throughout the weekend, because more than a question of the characteristics of the car, it seems that it is rather a question of how they use the tires and how much grip they have. each team is capable of generating.
Alongside the evolution of the track, there was also the parallel program carried out by the teams, since certain teams, like Red Bull And Ferrarihave chosen to go more and more unloaded from FP1 to FP2, also adapting to the references of their rivals. Others, like McLaren, also share their options, with Lando Norris mount the front wing more loaded and Oscar Piastri using the most downloaded one.
Mercedes leads Friday with McLaren close behind
This is not a new thing that the German team often highlights on Friday, before Saturday. Although George Russell is aware that this scenario could repeat itself in Las Vegas, he and Lewis Hamilton They showed their confidence.
Your feeling is that the W15 is potentially competitive and that, at least in the conditions that characterized Friday, the car performed well. The team's choices paid off particularly well in slow sectionslike in the sequence 7,8 and 9, where he can be very incisive at the entry, or in the final chicane.
The crucial point is that here, beyond the characteristics and strengths of the car, what really makes the difference is the ability to place the tires in an optimal window. On several occasions throughout this world championship, Brackley's car showed that it enjoyed cool temperatures more than hot temperatures, in which it quickly lost grip.
At Las Vegas, the drivers found the car partly difficult to drive due to lack of grip, but generally less responsive than the other cars, an aspect which had previously penalized Russell and Hamilton.
Norris-Hamilton FP2 Las Vegas telemetry comparison
Photo: Gianluca D'Alessandro
On the other hand, it lacks something in terms of top speed, where the other teams have something extra, with the exception of Red Bullwho loses six tenths and has problems due to not having a low-load plan. For comparison, the difference with Norris' McLaren is 3-4 km/h faster in the first speed trap, almost in line with Ferrari if a lap in which neither is taken as a reference. Carlos Sainz neither one nor the other Charles Leclerc They took advantage of the wakes. However, the difference is even greater at other points on the track, such as before braking at turn 4, reaching up to 9 km/h compared to the MCL38.
Speaking specifically about McLarenthe feeling, confirmed by the drivers, is that they have a car that is actually competitive on a lap, both because it manages to place the tires in a good window, and because its straight line speed is very Good.
In general, the McLaren didn't feel like a McLaren, as it lost time in specific points, like turn 1, or in the sequence 7, 8 and 9, where Norris didn't seem as aggressive on entry as the two Mercedes drivers. . What worries the Woking team the most is the graining obvious in long runs: even if in reality it is a phenomenon which has affected more or less all teams.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Ferrari seeks response to pace with soft tires
As is often the case, temperatures in Las Vegas are a matter of debate. In reality, the layout adapts well to the characteristics of the SF-24, with many straight lines and several slow turns in which it is not necessary to drive the car for a long time and test the front axle, but as we had speculated, Putting the tires in the optimal window seems quite complex.
It's a problem that Ferrari has encountered on other occasions during the season, notably when trying to squeeze something more out of the soft tire at the decisive moment in qualifying. here, Ferrari seemed to have more problems with the softer compound than with the medium. and it's no surprise that, as a result, the Maranello team tried something different in terms of settings.
It is clear that on a circuit as hostile as Las Vegas, because even in the corners we generally drive with very little downforce, which makes it difficult to drive the car, when there is a lack of grip in general, it's hard to extract the time and it's about doing a really clean ride with no mistakes.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are well aware of this, in fact the Monegasque aborted his lap several times to better use the softs, while Sainz was unable to complete a completely clean lap.
Sainz-Hamilton FP2 Las Vegas telemetry comparison
Photo: Gianluca D'Alessandro
Turn 1 itself is one of the places where they still need to work a little, because it's one of those sections where the SF-24 could really have problems, since you need to have good rotation in the middle of the turn and . not lose the rear at the start.
Sainz tried to enter with a lot of speed, but could not maintain the same pace in the next section and lost several tenths to the Mercedes and the McLaren.
In general, the SF-24, at least one round, is fastthanks also to its more unloaded wing in FP2, but it needs to find more in the search for grip to find the rhythm in the turns and when braking, especially with the soft.
This is another reason why the drivers were more optimistic about the race pace, while they also seemed to suffer somewhat from the graining and degradation, but with better sensations.
