What we realized from Friday observe on the 2024 F1 Abu Dhabi GP

As Max Verstappen has had the 2024 Formulation 1 drivers’ championship sewn up for practically two weeks, the one aggressive curiosity on this Abu Dhabi season finale centres on which of McLaren or Ferrari will wrap up the constructors’ title.

That’s aside from the early thoughts video games photographs of doable 2025 title contenders Verstappen and George Russell…

However within the rather more significant battle, it’s firmly benefit McLaren – forward by 21 factors anyway – after two observe classes from the Yas Marina observe on Friday.

The story of the day

As soon as once more right here the opening observe session was dominated by rookies – with 5 newbies becoming a member of Liam Lawson (a particular case in himself given his 2023 race appearances), Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan (additionally with particular circumstances) because the ‘common’ first-timers.

The opening one-hour session was bittersweet for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc main the best way with a 1m24.321s within the unrepresentative sunny operating.

He received to affix his brother on observe for a slice of F1 world championship historical past as the primary siblings to drive for a similar workforce in a GP weekend session (Argentina 1971 and the Fittipaldi brothers turning out for Lotus not counting due its non-championship standing).

However the elder Leclerc had missed the opening half of FP1 resulting from a difficulty along with his automotive’s battery, with Ferrari swiftly revealing this had wanted to be modified and so he will now need to take a 10-place grid drop for wherever he qualifies forward of Sunday’s race. Already, it was benefit even additional to McLaren within the constructors’ battle.

The orange workforce’s fortunes within the early alternate of this last scrap received even higher when it dominated FP2, whereas Ferrari comparatively struggled – this as ordinary the one observe session that issues given its related twilight setting to the race and night-time qualifying.

Norris led just about all through in FP2 – bar just a few seconds when he was headed by team-mate Oscar Piastri throughout their qualifying simulation efforts – and ended up high with a 1m23.517s.

Qatar winner Verstappen, in the meantime, struggled so badly with understeer on his Pink Bull he trailed Sergio Perez on each one-lap and race tempo.

The long-run race simulations that closed FP2 introduced additional excellent news for McLaren, as Piastri’s common laptime got here in at 0.312s faster than the most effective Ferrari may handle

At Ferrari, Leclerc’s FP2 qualifying simulation was spoiled by site visitors on his first stab, with Carlos Sainz ending fourth – 0.582s down on Norris and behind the interloping Nico Hulkenberg. Haas put its soon-to-be former driver’s high-profile outcome right down to hitting the sweetspot on the tyre problem right here.

FP2 general order

What the info tells us

The long-run race simulations that closed FP2 introduced additional excellent news for McLaren, as Piastri’s common lap time got here in at 0.312s faster than the most effective Ferrari may handle, courtesy of Leclerc. However of the 4 frontrunning groups, the chasing constructors’ championship challenger was eclipsed by its rivals at Pink Bull and notably Mercedes too.

McLaren additionally confirmed sturdy long-run tempo on mediums throughout FP2

Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Pictures

Because the desk under reveals, Lewis Hamilton led the best way with a median of 1m29.505s, with Piastri 0.147s slower. Subsequent up for Pink Bull, Perez’s finest (0.067s faster on common than Verstappen managed on the identical mediums as these additionally on the Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes vehicles) was 0.276s down on Hamilton.

By way of stint lengths – the place the standard FP2 caveats relating to gas hundreds should be remembered for one last time this yr – Pink Bull and Ferrari did the longest to set these averages, with 12 and 13 every for Perez and Leclerc. Each Hamilton and Piastri had been fuelled for at the least the 9 laps they accomplished in clocking these averages.

Medium long-run averages

Norris insists “I do not suppose the others turned up their engines but”, with the problem as ever across the Yas Marina observe to try to hold the softs in good condition for the tyre-torturing off-camber left-handers across the W lodge in sector three.

Thus far, whatever the basic FP2 engine mode settings caveat or not, it appears the MCL38 is dealing with this problem higher than any of the remaining.

“It’d look wonderful for now, however I feel we’re nonetheless gonna have a troublesome battle tomorrow,” Norris added, relentlessly reasonable as ever.

Given the way it fired its rubber up so nicely within the cool Las Vegas situations to dominate there, it’s hardly shocking to see Mercedes W15 battle with this. Russell, on his qualifying simulation effort, was struggling to remain inside observe limits on the last nook because the softs cried sufficient.

Encouragingly for Pink Bull, it’s value remembering the way it additionally began off the 2023 weekend right here lacking its desired steadiness sweetspot on the all-conquering RB19. Ultimately, Verstappen dominated the race to increase his profitable Abu Dhabi streak to 4 races since his walk-off win in 2020.

Conserving the softs alive for the ultimate sector appeared a troublesome ask for Mercedes

Photograph by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Pictures

As in Qatar, Pink Bull insiders recommend it’s presently struggling to seek out the RB20’s slim finest working window with its early set-up decisions on experience top stage. That Verstappen is complaining so vocally concerning the entrance finish suggests it’s additionally not nearly hitting the tyre temperature window for the Dutchman’s squad. Nonetheless, the workforce feels it has much less work to do to enhance its steadiness in comparison with per week in the past.

“Simply not related steadiness from entry to mid-corner,” Verstappen defined. “And that makes it then troublesome to principally push. That is one thing that we now have to work on in a single day.”

Ferrari, it appears, can be struggling to date with firing the softs up, relatively than retaining them alive. Sainz claimed “we’re nonetheless not extracting the entire efficiency” as “all the time when the observe drops in temperature and after we put the mushy tyres on, our automotive appears to battle a bit extra”.

“McLaren has all the time been fast right here up to now. It is all the time been a observe for McLaren but additionally, Lando has been very fast in Abu Dhabi earlier than” Carlos Sainz

The overtaking problem thwarted Ferrari in Fernando Alonso’s ambitions to win the drivers’ title right here for the Scuderia 14 years in the past – when his race engineer was Andrea Stella, who’s now McLaren workforce principal – though the DRS didn’t exist on the time.

And if it fails to go McLaren in qualifying – with Leclerc’s battery-change grid penalty piling on the strain – it is going to appear to be an especially lengthy shot for a primary championship of any variety for Ferrari since 2008. No surprise its temper to date is downbeat, with McLaren seemingly on target to say its first constructors’ crown since 1998.

“McLaren has all the time been fast right here up to now,” concluded Sainz. “It is all the time been a observe for McLaren but additionally, Lando has been very fast in Abu Dhabi earlier than.

“I feel they’re all the time going to be a troublesome workforce to beat in the meanwhile, [but] they appear the strongest this weekend. So, it is gonna be a troublesome ask to beat them.”

Can Ferrari flip the tables on McLaren in qualifying to provide itself half an opportunity?

Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures