Ferrari efficiency breakdown: SF-25 balanced on mediums however restricted by elevate and coast
Ferrari secured a formidable second place with Charles Leclerc and an eighth-place end with Lewis Hamilton within the twentieth spherical of the 2025 System 1 season, held on the high-speed Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico Metropolis. Charles Leclerc delivered a really robust efficiency, particularly when contemplating the inherent limitations of the Ferrari SF-25 when it comes to tire temperature administration and general thermal effectivity below excessive monitor situations. With monitor temperatures reaching round fifty levels Celsius in the course of the race, Ferrari drivers had been pressured to sluggish their tempo considerably sooner than would usually have been needed, with a view to stop the automotive from overheating and risking a dramatic drop in efficiency. The Monegasque, particularly, demonstrated outstanding ability in managing his tires in the course of the second stint of the race, efficiently holding off Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen over a prolonged forty-lap stint whereas operating on medium compound tires.
Mexican Grand Prix, second stint: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc affected by smooth tire drop; Max Verstappen delays his pit cease
Initially of the primary stint, all drivers besides Max Verstappen in his Crimson Bull started the race on smooth tires. Charles Leclerc’s tempo was roughly five-tenths of a second slower than Lando Norris in his McLaren, with the hole creating in a reasonably constant and linear trend over the early laps. Regardless of this, the Monegasque driver confirmed wonderful management of his automotive and managed temperatures very successfully in the course of the opening laps. Even earlier than the lights went out, the Ferrari workforce had instructed its drivers on when and the place to carry out elevate and coast in the course of the race with a view to optimize tire longevity and stop extreme put on.
In the course of the course of the race, Ferrari engineer Bryan Bozzi requested that Charles Leclerc anticipate and improve the usage of elevate and coast in the important thing corners of the circuit, particularly corners one, 4, and twelve. From a tire put on perspective, the 28-year-old driver skilled a major drop in efficiency in the course of the latter a part of the primary stint, significantly after finishing the 20th lap. Based mostly on telemetry knowledge evaluation we will observe that Charles Leclerc’s lap instances started to rise progressively, in the end making him the slowest among the many top-tier System 1 drivers at that stage of the race.
Lewis Hamilton, alternatively, acquired completely different directions from his race engineer Riccardo Adami. He was requested to execute a full elevate and coast totaling over 300 meters per lap all through the circuit. Regardless of this, his tempo remained much like that of his Ferrari teammate, though he skilled a comparable drop in efficiency resulting from tire degradation. Notably, the decline in efficiency for Lewis Hamilton started roughly six laps sooner than for Charles Leclerc, making the primary section of the race significantly difficult for the seven-time System 1 world champion.
Max Verstappen, driving the Crimson Bull RB21, was roughly eight-tenths of a second slower than Lando Norris over the early laps, primarily resulting from an absence of rear grip. This subject stemmed from excessively excessive temperatures inside the brake ducts, which affected the general steadiness of his automotive. Because of this, the Dutchman was additionally required to carry out elevate and coast, although much less aggressively than the Ferrari drivers. Solely in direction of the ultimate portion of his stint did Crimson Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase permit Max Verstappen to ease off the elevate and coast administration, enabling him to run a extra constant and managed tempo in the course of the closing laps of his first stint.
Regardless of managing his tires fastidiously, Max Verstappen misplaced round two and a half seconds resulting from a delayed pit cease, which prevented him from mounting a more in-depth and extra aggressive battle with Charles Leclerc within the last laps of the race. Lando Norris, in the meantime, had an exceptionally clear first stint, although he skilled a slight drop in efficiency resulting from thermal degradation after finishing lap twenty. Nonetheless, the British driver was capable of capitalize on one of many inherent strengths of the McLaren MCL39: its low tire consumption in high-temperature situations, which allowed him to take care of a aggressive tempo relative to his rivals regardless of the difficult monitor situations.
Mexican Grand Prix, second stint: Charles Leclerc struggles over a demanding forty-lap stint
In the course of the second a part of the Mexican Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was one of many first drivers to make a pit cease, which additionally included serving a pre-existing time penalty. On medium compound tires, the Briton appeared comparatively comfy and capable of keep a constant tempo, though he nonetheless confronted a spot of over one second to Max Verstappen, who was operating on extra favorable smooth tires. Knowledge on tire degradation throughout this stint exhibits that Lewis Hamilton efficiently stabilized his tire temperatures over the 9 laps previous his pit cease, managing to maintain a gradual and dependable tempo regardless of the excessive monitor temperatures and related thermal challenges.
Charles Leclerc, in distinction, posted a mean tempo that was roughly four-tenths of a second quicker than that of Lewis Hamilton throughout the identical section. At the start of the stint, Charles adopted a particularly cautious method, following directions from Ferrari that he wouldn’t make any further pit stops. This cautious method resulted in a gradual lower in lap instances because the stint progressed. When in comparison with Lando Norris, the Ferrari man was nonetheless four-tenths slower per lap, a distinction largely attributable to barely much less efficient tire administration over the course of the stint.
Even in the course of the second stint, the Ferrari pit wall repeatedly communicated directions to Charles Leclerc concerning elevate and coast administration. Regardless of these frequent interventions, Leclerc was capable of keep a fairly constant tempo by means of the center portion of the stint, experiencing solely a minor drop in efficiency in the course of the closing laps. The first problem for the Monegasque driver got here from Max Verstappen, who, operating on smooth tires in the course of the second stint, managed to get better a major nineteen-second hole on the Monegasque whereas operating lap instances roughly seven-tenths quicker.
Max Verstappen efficiently closed a lot of the distance after lap fifty-one, at a degree when Charles Leclerc’s efficiency had begun to plateau barely. The Dutchman proved to be the quickest driver on monitor, significantly in the course of the closing laps, largely resulting from wonderful administration of his smooth compound tires, which had been exceptionally well-suited to the traits of the Crimson Bull RB21.
Oliver Bearman additionally delivered an impressive efficiency within the Mexican Grand Prix, ending in fourth place for Haas. The Ferrari junior made the a lot of the automotive’s wonderful high pace, which allowed him to stay aggressive and keep positions close to the entrance of the sector. Moreover, in the course of the third stint of the race, Oliver Bearman ran on smooth tires and efficiently resisted the attacking efforts of Oscar Piastri, who was seeking to make progress by means of the sector.
Mercedes skilled a combined and difficult race in Mexico, partly because of the presence of Oliver Bearman and Haas’ robust efficiency. Each Kimi Antonelli and George Russell struggled to take care of aggressive efficiency within the excessive monitor situations, with excessive monitor temperatures and tough monitor positioning contributing to thermal administration points and making it tough for Mercedes to extract most efficiency from their vehicles.
Total, Ferrari demonstrated a powerful strategic method and a formidable capacity to handle tires successfully, significantly by means of cautious use of elevate and coast throughout essential parts of the race. Charles Leclerc’s efficiency highlighted his ability in sustaining tempo and managing tire degradation, whereas Lewis Hamilton faced his own challenges however managed to ship a stable factors end. Max Verstappen, regardless of encountering rear grip points and requiring elevate and coast, demonstrated the pace and tire administration essential to get better positions in the course of the latter levels of the race. Lando Norris maximized McLaren’s strengths, exhibiting clear and efficient tire administration throughout each stints, and Oliver Bearman impressed with a fourth-place end that underscored Haas’ potential within the fingers of the younger British driver.
And also you? What do you consider Charles and Lewis’ efficiency within the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix? Tell us with a remark on the finish of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / X (former Twitter) and TikTok.
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