There was no means that the constructors’ championship may very well be selected the opening day of observe for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. No factors on provide, no aggressive session that will straight have an effect on something for Sunday’s grand prix.
However on the finish of the twenty fourth Friday of the 2024 season, it was laborious to not really feel as if Ferrari’s tough prospects of one way or the other overcoming a 21 level deficit within the constructors’ championship have been now trying even slimmer.
On the finish of the second hour of observe of the day, McLaren backed up their benefit within the standings with an obvious benefit on the monitor. Lando Norris set the most effective time of the day with a time solely group mate Oscar Piastri might get near, whereas Ferrari have been greater than half a second slower with each Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr.
And whereas Leclerc was battling meals poisoning he additionally needed to abdomen one thing a lot worse – a ten-place grid penalty for Sunday’s grand prix after Ferrari confirmed that he must take his third vitality retailer of the season to make it by means of the ultimate weekend of the yr. Having gone 23 rounds with out exceeding his energy unit allowance, now he could be hit by a penalty on the worst attainable time.
Leclerc due to this fact faces an exceptionally powerful job to succeed in the sorts of excessive points-scoring positions the group wants from him to beat McLaren for his or her first constructors’ championship since 2008. To not point out overhauling the 2 MCL38s.
“The McLarens appear to be faster, sadly,” Leclerc admitted on the finish of he day. “So for now, they’ve received the higher hand.
“We all know that it may well swing by hook or by crook in a short time and we’ve received to remain on prime of all the pieces. It received’t be completed till the very finish. As we’ve seen, sadly, as we speak on our aspect, we’ve had an issue. I’m not wishing an issue to anyone else, we’ll simply give attention to ourselves and attempt to do a tremendous restoration on Sunday.”
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On McLaren’s aspect, it was laborious to see how Friday might have gone any higher. Not solely did they study their nearest rivals could be combating with one hand tied behind their again, each of their drivers have been quickest in the one true consultant session of the day. However in typical Norris vogue, the quickest driver of the day was fast to be cautious about McLaren’s prospects for the remainder of the weekend.
“The automobile’s been feeling good the entire day,” Norris stated. “Continued our tempo out of Qatar and really feel sturdy.
“I feel we’ve got a couple of issues to enhance on, in each high and low gasoline – most likely extra so on excessive gasoline. It most likely appears higher than it’s. I don’t assume the others turned up their engines it. So it would look wonderful for now, however I feel we’re nonetheless going to have a troublesome struggle tomorrow.”
With every of the highest 4 groups utilizing the medium compound tyres for his or her lengthy runs in the identical sundown situations that Sunday’s race will happen in, the lap occasions from the tip of the second session present helpful snapshots of every group’s efficiency at this stage of the weekend.
Of the eight drivers from the 4 prime groups, Piastri and Norris had the quickest common lap occasions throughout their high-fuel stints, each within the 1’29.6s. Leclerc was, on common, three tenths per lap slower than the McLarens, with group mate Sainz an additional two tenths again.
The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell lapped at an identical tempo to Leclerc, with Max Verstappen nearer to Sainz than he was to the McLarens. However Sergio Perez was the closest driver within the lengthy runs to Piastri and Norris, suggesting that Purple Bull have considerably extra tempo than Verstappen demonstrated in his sole observe session of the day.
“I’m certain that we will do higher,” was Verstappen’s abstract after one more Friday the place he was sad with the steadiness of his Purple Bull. “I’m not saying that we’ll at McLaren’s stage, as a result of they appear very fast to date this weekend, however at the very least if we will struggle in that prime six that might be an excellent restoration. As a result of, to date, it’s been fairly difficult.”
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Heading into the ultimate qualifying Saturday of the season, Russell is seeking to take a hat trick of pole positions on this closing double header. However though the Mercedes has regarded stronger on the finish of the season than most occasions by means of the yr, Russell doesn’t count on anybody to beat the McLarens, it doesn’t matter what they might have been holding again on Friday.
“I feel nonetheless as a group, we’re a great distance off McLaren and Ferrari,” Russell stated. “McLaren particularly appear to be in a league of their very own in the meanwhile.
“Lewis did an ideal job, however we’re nonetheless 4 tenths behind the McLaren, in order that’s greater than we often count on. So I count on Ferrari to most likely get again within the combine, Max most likely to get again within the combine, however I hope we will make some enhancements for tomorrow.”
However with McLaren with the higher hand within the championship, over the brief runs and seemingly in high-fuel too, it’s little marvel Piastri was feeling fairly optimistic about his group’s probabilities heading into the remainder of the weekend.
“I feel the tempo as we speak has been very sturdy, so that may solely offer you confidence, I might say,” Piastri stated. “Tomorrow is clearly a really completely different day and I’m certain the others will discover their toes a bit extra. However I feel contemplating I did one session, I’m proud of the day’s work. So hopefully we will proceed that.”
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Mixed observe occasions
P.
#
Driver
Group
FP1 time
FP2 time
Hole
Laps
1
4
Lando Norris
McLaren-Mercedes
1’24.542
1’23.517
25
2
81
Oscar Piastri
McLaren-Mercedes
1’23.751
0.234
28
3
27
Nico Hulkenberg
Haas-Ferrari
1’25.373
1’23.979
0.462
28
4
55
Carlos Sainz Jnr
Ferrari
1’24.099
0.582
28
5
44
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1’24.806
1’24.119
0.602
28
6
16
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1’24.321
1’24.201
0.684
28
7
77
Valtteri Bottas
Sauber-Ferrari
1’25.611
1’24.230
0.713
24
8
20
Kevin Magnussen
Haas-Ferrari
1’25.444
1’24.235
0.718
25
9
23
Alexander Albon
Williams-Mercedes
1’24.269
0.752
22
10
22
Yuki Tsunoda
RB-Honda RBPT
1’24.497
0.980
28
11
30
Liam Lawson
RB-Honda RBPT
1’25.563
1’24.503
0.986
25
12
10
Pierre Gasly
Alpine-Renault
1’25.333
1’24.517
1.000
27
13
63
George Russell
Mercedes
1’25.165
1’24.534
1.017
24
14
11
Sergio Perez
Purple Bull-Honda RBPT
1’25.483
1’24.555
1.038
27
15
24
Zhou Guanyu
Sauber-Ferrari
1’25.921
1’24.557
1.040
23
16
14
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin-Mercedes
1’25.504
1’24.574
1.057
25
17
1
Max Verstappen
Purple Bull-Honda RBPT
1’24.598
1.081
26
18
18
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin-Mercedes
1’24.686
1.169
29
19
61
Jack Doohan
Alpine-Renault
1’26.304
1’24.961
1.444
27
20
43
Franco Colapinto
Williams-Mercedes
1’25.382
1’25.265
1.748
10
21
34
Felipe Drugovich
Aston Martin-Mercedes
1’25.471
1.954
0
22
37
Isack Hadjar
Purple Bull-Honda RBPT
1’25.877
2.360
0
23
40
Ayumu Iwasa
RB-Honda RBPT
1’26.121
2.604
0
24
39
Arthur Leclerc
Ferrari
1’26.179
2.662
0
25
46
Luke Browning
Williams-Mercedes
1’26.519
3.002
0
26
28
Ryo Hirakawa
McLaren-Mercedes
1’27.354
3.837
0
Groups’ progress vs 2023
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2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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