Na preparação para o Grande Prêmio do Canadá, a Ferrari era amplamente esperada para continuar sua sequência de vitórias na temporada de Fórmula 1 de 2024, após a impressionante vitória de Charles Leclerc em Mônaco. No entanto, suas esperanças foram frustradas quando ambos os carros não conseguiram avançar para o Q3 em Montreal, tornando uma posição no pódio altamente improvável. Leclerc, não querendo ser rotulado como favorito, afirmou cautelosamente que provavelmente teriam uma competição acirrada com a McLaren e a Red Bull.
Em uma reviravolta surpreendente, a Mercedes dominou a sessão do Q2 com uma dobradinha, enquanto Charles Leclerc teve dificuldades para acompanhar o pole position George Russell, ficando quase um segundo atrás. Aston Martin, Red Bull e até Williams se classificaram melhor do que a Ferrari, deixando-os do lado errado da classificação. A competição estava incrivelmente acirrada, com menos de dois décimos separando Max Verstappen em sétimo e Carlos Sainz em 12º.
Apesar de uma quase chuva forte na sexta-feira, a sessão de treinos finais de sábado proporcionou uma hora completa de pista seca, revelando sinais de alerta para a Ferrari. Leclerc ficou oito décimos mais lento e reclamou pelo rádio sobre seu Ferrari lento. Essa falta de velocidade persistiu na classificação, deixando Leclerc desapontado e sem explicações para seu desempenho ruim. A aderência na pista estava extremamente baixa, especialmente no primeiro setor, o que levou a um efeito cascata que prejudicou o desempenho geral do carro.
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 treatment of the tires has caused issues with tire heating, especially with the Pirelli C5 fronts.
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 with new tires for their first laps 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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The Formula 1 driver, Lewis Hamilton, achieved another thrilling victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix. The British driver showed all his skill and determination to surpass his opponents and cross the finish line in first place. With this win, Hamilton solidifies himself as one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history.
The race in Portugal was marked by a lot of excitement and fierce competition. Hamilton started in second place, but quickly showed his superiority and overtook the pole position, Max Verstappen. From then on, the British driver dominated the race and did not give any chances to the other competitors.
Verstappen, on the other hand, could not keep up with Hamilton’s pace and had to settle for second place. Nevertheless, the Red Bull driver showed his skill and competence by securing a spot on the podium.
Another highlight of the race was McLaren’s driver, Lando Norris, who finished on the podium in third place. The young British driver has been standing out this season and once again showed his talent by achieving a place among the best.
With this victory, Hamilton extends his lead in the championship and gets closer to his eighth world title. The Mercedes driver has been dominating the season and seems unbeatable at the moment.
The next stage of Formula 1 will take place at the Barcelona circuit in Spain. It will be another opportunity for the drivers to showcase their talent and compete for the win. It remains to be seen if anyone will be able to overcome Lewis Hamilton and end his winning streak.
