During the preparation for the Canadian Grand Prix, Ferrari was widely expected to continue their winning streak in the 2024 Formula 1 season, following Charles Leclerc’s impressive victory in Monaco. However, their hopes were dashed when both cars failed to advance to Q3 in Montreal, making a podium position highly unlikely. Leclerc, not wanting to be labeled as a favorite, cautiously stated that they would likely have a tough competition with McLaren and Red Bull.
In a surprising turn of events, Mercedes dominated the Q2 session with a one-two finish, while Charles Leclerc struggled to keep up with pole position George Russell, falling almost a second behind. Aston Martin, Red Bull, and even Williams qualified better than Ferrari, leaving them on the wrong side of the grid. The competition was incredibly tight, with less than two tenths separating Max Verstappen in seventh and Carlos Sainz in 12th.
Despite a near heavy rain on Friday, the final practice session on Saturday provided a full hour of dry track, revealing warning signs for Ferrari. Leclerc was eight tenths slower and complained over the radio about his slow Ferrari. This lack of speed persisted in qualifying, leaving Leclerc disappointed and with no explanations for his poor performance. Grip on the track was extremely low, especially in the first sector, leading to a cascading effect that hindered the overall car performance.
Although Ferrari has made improvements compared to last year’s race, their car is still not where it needs to be. The 2024 Ferrari was designed to be more balanced and easier to drive, focusing on race pace and tire management rather than pure speed. However, their position on the grid, in the sixth row, is far behind considering their previous performances against McLaren and Red Bull. The car’s friendlier tire treatment has caused issues with tire heating, especially with the Pirelli C5 front tires.
The new track surface and mixed weather conditions further complicated things. Grip levels were initially low but improved as more rubber was laid down during qualifying. This led teams to burn extra sets of new soft tires to ensure a safe passage to Q2. Ferrari made a 50/50 decision to send their drivers out on new tires for their first runs in Q2, fearing rain would interrupt the session. This decision ended up leaving them with used tires for the crucial part of the session.
Leclerc expressed his disappointment and acknowledged that with new tires, he could easily find the small margin needed to advance to Q3. Vasseur revealed that Sainz was actually three tenths faster than Leclerc in the final corner, but made a mistake, costing him a place in Q3. Despite these setbacks, Vasseur emphasized the fierce competition and the need for Ferrari to come back stronger in the future.
There is a growing trend of Ferrari and Red Bull struggling to maintain their competitiveness since the update of their cars in Imola. Meanwhile, McLaren and Mercedes have made significant progress. This raises the question of whether Ferrari and Red Bull have put themselves in trouble as the competition intensifies.
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Le pilote de Formule 1, Lewis Hamilton, a remporté une autre victoire émouvante au Grand Prix du Portugal. Le britannique a montré toute son habileté et sa détermination en surpassant ses adversaires et en franchissant la ligne d’arrivée en première position. Avec cette victoire, Hamilton se consolide comme l’un des plus grands pilotes de l’histoire de la Formule 1.
La course au Portugal a été marquée par beaucoup d’émotions et de luttes acharnées. Hamilton est parti de la deuxième position, mais a rapidement montré sa supériorité en dépassant le pole position, Max Verstappen. À partir de là, le britannique a dominé la course et n’a laissé aucune chance aux autres concurrents.
Verstappen, quant à lui, n’a pas pu suivre le rythme de Hamilton et a dû se contenter de la deuxième place. Malgré tout, le pilote de Red Bull a montré son habileté et sa compétence en garantissant une place sur le podium.
Un autre point fort de la course a été le pilote de McLaren, Lando Norris, qui a complété le podium en troisième position. Le jeune britannique se démarque cette saison et a une fois de plus montré son talent en se classant parmi les meilleurs.
Avec cette victoire, Hamilton creuse l’écart en tête du championnat et se rapproche de plus en plus de son huitième titre mondial. Le pilote de Mercedes a dominé la saison et semble imbattable en ce moment.
La prochaine étape de la Formule 1 se déroulera sur le circuit de Barcelone, en Espagne. Ce sera une autre opportunité pour les pilotes de montrer leur talent et de se battre pour la victoire. Reste à voir si quelqu’un sera capable de surpasser Lewis Hamilton et de mettre fin à sa série de victoires.
