Different approach
After closing the first free practice session in Monza with a double, Ferrari was overtaken by Mercedes in FP2: the silver arrows finished the session in first and third position with Russell and Antonelli, while the reds were second and fifth. A step back? Not necessarily according to the Scuderia team principal Fred Vasseur, who analyzed the outcome of today’s day with the journalists present in Monza.
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“I believe that between one session and another we are all using different fuel levels and engine modes – explained the French manager – and it is very difficult to interpret, even for us. We just have to focus on ourselves and try to get the most out of it. We should have some sort of convergence in approach for FP3, but we will see. There is still a long way to Sunday. It seems that for race pace there are different options in terms of energy management. Surely there will also be overtaking opportunities”.
No slipstream
At Mercedes both Bradley Lord and Kimi Antonelli hinted that the Italian, who already knows he will have to start from the last row due to the power unit change, will help teammate George Russell in qualifying by giving him the slipstream. However, Vasseur ruled out that such a thing could happen with the two Ferrari drivers as well: “We have two cars, it’s an advantage and I want to use both cars – said Vasseur – we want to put both cars in the front rows. Of course, if we had a car that has to start from the back, we would use it to help the other qualify further up, as Hadjar did with Max at Spa. It’s a smart move, but I prefer to have two cars up front“.
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