Not there sprint qualification that was expected Frederic Vasseur, also considering the premises of the only free practice session held on the Qatar track. First and fourth position in FP1 respectively for Leclerc e Sainz. The two Ferrari However, they found themselves in fourth and fifth position at the checkered flag of qualifying for the Sprint Race, with the Spaniard ahead of the Monegasque.
Vasseur on sprint qualifying: “Understeer key to our decline”
As anticipated yesterday by both Prancing Horse drivers (especially Sainz), the main reason that triggered this difference in results was the change in grip of the track. Confirmed also by Vasseur himself, the SF-24 suffered from the increase in grip which resulted in a greater understeer, causing difficulties for both pilots: "In free practice we had a much better car, but in qualifying we found ourselves having to fight a lot with understeer. This was the reason why we suffered. But you always have to look on the bright side. In fact, the important points are awarded on Sunday and not on Saturday. The goal will therefore be to be ready for the qualifying that leads to the race, and to be in a great condition for the latter. But we cannot deny that the situation we had in free practice was the best”.
“The set-up change before the race will be fundamental”
Vasseur then wanted to focus on future events to try to extrapolate the most from this weekend. The fundamental turning point will therefore be the possibility of changing the setup before qualifying on Saturday, to arrive at the race in the best possible condition: “When the grip of the track increases the understeer problem is even higher. This means that between the afternoon and the evening there was a huge increase in grip. For our part, the Sprint will be in the afternoon, so it should work in our favor. The change of set-up before qualifying will be fundamental. The race, however, will be an unknown for everyone, because no one has done simulations. So we don't know if we will have to face graining or not".
