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Ferrari had a good Friday in Barcelona as its driver Charles Leclerc topped both free practice sessions yesterday. The car even appears to have the edge over Red Bull on a single lap. However, due to Barcelona's hot conditions, tire degradation might be the Italian team's downfall as it seems to struggle with it more than its Austrian rival.
Speaking to the media at the end of the day, it seemed as though lead Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc shared a similar opinion. He said:
“Our qualifying runs don’t look bad, but we have some work to do, in particular on our race pace and on tyre management. The stints we did on the Soft compound felt better than those on the Mediums. Tonight, we will analyse our latest data to find where we can improve on this track, as the conditions are very different to the last time we were here during winter testing.”
The Monegasque will be looking to extend his championship lead at the Spanish GP on Sunday.
Leclerc's Ferrari teammate facing similar tire troubles
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz faced similar issues with the tires as well as with the balance in FP2. Speaking to the media later in the day, he expressed concern over the tire degradation that he was suffering in the long run. He said:
“A bit of a tricky FP2 compared to a positive FP1, as we struggled a bit with tyres and balance after the changes we made. We need to look at it and find the correct adjustments for tomorrow, but we’ve got plenty of data and I’m sure we’ll find a more comfortable set-up. It seems like there is a lot of degradation with the heat, which could be crucial for the race, so we’ll also keep an eye on that.”
He also mentioned how thrilled he was to see so many fans in the grandstands and how their support motivated him even further. He said:
“I’m very impressed with the number of fans in the grandstands today. It’s fantastic to see all these people supporting us and their good vibes are a huge motivation!”
The Italian squad has had a history of excessive degradation in the last couple of races. Leclerc was overtaken by Verstappen in the Imola Sprint race due to tire degradation and faced a similar fate in Miami as well.
For Barcelona, the Maranello-based team will be looking to make a few changes and to put together a better performance for the race.
