Wind and temperatures changed the conditions before Q3. The Ferrari moves to make the Pirelli work better than everyone
The affirmation of Charles Leclerc, “today I do not understand anything about F1, we had difficulties in every qualification session and also in entering the Q3, but then I signed the best pole position of my career”, immediately after obtaining the pole position for the Hungary GP, it could be used to actually explain how unexpected and unexpected it was the result of the qualifications. In reality, it is correct to reiterate, as Andrea Stella, Team Principal of McLaren, did the same, that nothing in F1 occurs by chance and everything can be found an explanation.
Ferrari, weather factor
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Certainly the changed environmental conditions, specifically linked to two factors, the wind direction and the temperature of the asphalt, were certainly determined to fix the cards in Q3. In the first case, the wind turned from one hundred and eighty degrees and in specific points of the track the McLaren McL39 was the car to suffer more. Syzingly, however, this already happened during the first attempt when both Norris and Piastri had however obtained a performance that would allow them to have the monopoly of the front row. But in the last attempt perhaps an excessive prudence prevailed, having found how much the grip and trust in the insertion in some curves was much lower than that of Q2.
grip changed
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Nonetheless, the asphalt temperature has had a drop of over ten degrees, radically changing the adhesive and mechanical grip parameters of the tires. In parallel it is correct to argue that Leclerc has not only pushed in the last attempt starting from a particular condition, given that at that moment he had practically nothing to lose occupying his sixth position. The very preparation of the lap at the temperature window of the tires was not less important. The choice to exit as soon as possible from the pits allowed him a careful preparation of the tires, hitting the conditions of Grip, wind direction, asphalt temperature, the precise window of use of the tires: in the Ferrari box the perfect pressure were guessed to make the tires work, in addition Charles has warmed them gradually and impeccablely, thanks also to his own request to the engineers, “let me come out as soon as possible”. It is no coincidence, in fact, Andrea Stella also reiterates that of the top ten qualified single -seater, only Leclerc managed to improve his time compared to the first attempt. Something that allows Charles to enjoy the advantage – relevant on this track – to start in front of everyone, even if, at the same time, it is legitimate to expect a return from the competitive MCL39 of Plastri and Norris, who had highlighted both in Q1 and in Q2 and the margin precisely on the Ferrari del Monegasco was around four tenths, exactly the same gap that emerged in all the free -free sessions. In the race, based on the data available in Pirelli, the optimal strategy should be based on two stops with the sequence of Mescole Medium, Hard, Hard.