SAKHIRThe retreat snaps at the climax. Like those who leave the stadium before the ninetieth, the concert before the final piece. The first qualifying of the season offered a mutilated show.
Leclerc goes on the balance of checks, gives up on the last shot. The most exciting, the most awaited, roars of disbelief. It is the house specialty for Charles, 18 pole starts in his career, one more than Jackie Stewart, the Scotsman who won three World Cups and who yesterday was here, in the paddock, with checked trousers and the sponsor’s uniform from “tourist guide” to high-speed VIP tourists.
Usual adrenaline, up to a handful of minutes from the end. When Ferrari says it’s enough and Sergio Perez doesn’t think it’s true to take the front row seat next to Max Verstappen, without even struggling. In the previous attempt Charles had come within a tenth of the Dutchman, amazed “by being so close”, yet forced to give up due to a precise choice of the low wall. It’s not worth trying against those two over there, that’s the point.
Red Bull has lived up to expectations. Max lowered his time obtained last year here by 9 tenths (he was second behind Charles) despite having lost, like everyone else, 30 percentage points of downforce due to the new rules on car surfaces. A monstrous leap, and the potential appears even higher in the race than in qualifying due to the ability to work at very low heights from the ground. Ferrari has chosen the path of sacrifice, that of saving a set of tires to have it available today. The bolt to try to restart on the counterattack. «It was the right choice, we had discussed it with Charles. The points are scored on Sunday, the championships are not won with poles. It was important not to get carried away by emotions,” explained Fred Vasseur. Leclerc is in tune with the new boss – after all he supported his arrival -, shares the decision: «Better to take third with a new set than second with used tyres». The worm of a can remains pole failure: “Could I have done it? Considering the first attempt, excellent, and I still had a bit of margin, I would have gone very close… We were stronger than I expected. I’m happy with how we handled it.”
Whether the move will pay off remains to be seen, but how much is the “joker” of the tires worth? The difference between a new soft compound and one that has already been used is estimated at two-three tenths, a very small gain. But it is an option that could come in handy, in attack, in a safety car scenario, for example: to attack those in the lead with better traction and then dictate the pace by exploiting the engine power and straight-line speed of the new Ferrari.
Upon first examination, the 2023 power unit made it possible to compensate (or mask?) a still non-ideal balance from which the problems of degradation of the tires derive. The goal is to protect the positions, limit the damage while waiting for technical updates, Sainz also has the task of keeping Fernando Alonso at bay. Author of the «pole of the others», happy for the fifth place with the Aston Martin ahead of the Mercedes: «It seems incredible to be able to fight with them. And talking to the designers they tell me that this is just the beginning». He is convinced he can continue the climb today, the Ferrari move should also serve to mark him. Apart from Nando, the hierarchies are back to the usual ones, Sainz who was better than Leclerc in the tests, is now behind: «In any case, one step forward, there will be suffering. But we are ready.”
