FP2 has just concluded, bringing the curtain down on the first day of the weekend on English soil Silverstone GP. Free practice saw some doubts in the stable of the prancing horse, still looking for a set-up that is 100% suited to the typology of the British circuit. In fact, the "old" configuration was also tested, that of the SF24 Evo1 together with the Evo2.
GP Silverstone 2024: the words of Charles Leclerc at the end of the session
Charles Leclerc closed the FP1 in eighth position and the FP2 in fifth. Confirming that the difficulties continue in the Ferrari garage, despite the Monegasque's result on track being faster than his teammate.
Mere consolation if you think about the performances of those who, like him, opted for red tyres. His problem, however, seems to be Bouncing which animated the entire session with the evolutionary structure brought to Barcelona. The car is presenting problems in long curves of medium-high speed, thus being very unstable when traveling specifically on these sections of track.
«We still struggle to find the perfect point and go well with the upgrades brought so far» says number 16 «That's where we are focusing now. We learned a lot in Austria by having two different configurations and we will continue to look for the optimization of this package."
Then he adds: «We have an idea of what to do but what doesn't help us is the weather. It looks like it will rain in free practice and we wanted to do some analysis to improve the car because it is a good testing opportunity given that there is no Sprint like in Austria. But it will definitely rain and perhaps create a delay in data analysis.”
«It was a very complicated day, but we learned a lot of things – he declared after the second session, and then continued – So I hope that tomorrow goes a little better. Now we will have to analyze all the data collected in the two sessions and I hope we will be able to make the best decision for tomorrow.»
«We know which direction we have to take for the rest of the weekend. There are several ideas to tell the truth but it will depend on what the data says. Everyone on the team is working hard to resolve. We were very productive today, although not particularly fast on the track, unfortunately."
«We are in the process of examining everything and then I can't tell you yet which direction we will take. I don't think we will have the pace to fight for Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes. I don't think this is possible at the moment, honestly. In fact, I'd say McLaren and Red Bull are far ahead of the rest here at Silverstone, but we'll wait and see. I hope I'm wrong."
