Carlos Sainz Jr from Spain, driving for Ferrari SF-24, took part in the Formula 1 World Championship, Stage 6, Miami Grand Prix in Miami, Florida, USA, on May 4, 2024. On Sprint and Qualifying Day, McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella, expressed optimism about the team’s chances to compete with Ferrari and Sergio Perez from Red Bull for a place on the podium.
Despite showing promising speed with his updated MCL38 car during the early stages of the weekend, McLaren found themselves behind Ferrari and Red Bull at crucial moments. Lando Norris, who made mistakes in the first sector, lost pole position for the Sprint. He also faced challenges with the soft tires, leading him to try the medium tires during qualifying. As a result, Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had fewer upgrades on their cars, had to settle for starting on the third row of the grid for the race.
However, Stella remains positive that the McLaren team can focus on challenging the cars ahead of them to secure a place on the podium, rather than just focusing on the Mercedes cars behind them. Stella stated, “I believe we can compete with Ferrari and hopefully with Perez as well. Yesterday I was more optimistic as the car seemed to perform well compared to Ferrari and Red Bull. However, it seems we have remained at a similar level today, while Ferrari and Red Bull may have gained some performance. We will have to see how this translates in the race tomorrow.”
During the Sprint, Norris suffered the consequences of being out of position on the grid. He was taken out at Turn 1 when the two Aston Martin drivers made contact and collided with him. Piastri, on the other hand, struggled to overtake Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz due to the turbulence created by their cars. Stella admitted that it was challenging to assess McLaren’s potential in race conditions based on the Sprint. He explained: “It’s difficult for us to assess the Sprint because one car was immediately taken out of the race and the other car was following Carlos, who was following Daniel. So it’s difficult to determine, but I believe we are capable of competing against the cars ahead of us.”
Despite implementing a significant upgrade package for this weekend’s race in Miami, Stella warned that the intense heat has not been advantageous for their package in 2024. “Miami has historically been a challenging event for us,” noted Stella, referring to McLaren’s poor performance last season before the upgrades were introduced. “The extreme temperatures are not ideal for the characteristics of our car, so we recognize that there are some limitations. However, we will still take part in the race tomorrow with the aim of securing a place on the podium.”
Although it is expected that the race will involve a single pit stop, Stella believes that teams can use the undercut strategy to gain positions. “The undercut can be a powerful tactic, as even though tire degradation is relatively lower compared to races in Japan or China, putting on new tires – even the hard compound – offers a significant advantage on the first lap. This can result in an undercut of about one second over 20 laps,” he explained. “However, I predict that this race will have relatively low tire degradation, which may lead teams to extend their first pit stop. Starting on a certain compound, such as the medium, may allow for a longer first stop. Therefore, the timing of the pit stop may become a tactical decision.”
Regarding tire selection, Stella mentioned the performance of the soft compound during the Sprint race and its potential impact on the main event. “The use of the soft tire may be considered by some teams. Although starting with the soft tires does not guarantee a significant grip advantage on the first lap, as we saw in the Sprint race where the medium compound was as fast, it can still represent an opportunity for certain cars. Therefore, I would say that the medium compound is a better choice for the start.”
© 2024
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