Over the years, Ferrari has made a lot of promises during testing for Formula 1, but has also disappointed in the races that followed. However, the Scuderia will be able to pursue Red Bull and three-time world champion Max Verstappen at the front of the grid following three days of testing and 416 laps of track data.
After Adrian Newey’s aerodynamic eighth wonder of the world, the RB20, astounded Formula One spectators with its cutting-edge design, expectations were raised early on that the Austrian team would easily defeat the rest of the field.
Testing on Day 1 revealed that those projections were accurate, with Verstappen leading the field by an entire second. However, Ferrari’s SF-24 was breathtaking in the Middle Eastern sun, and on Days 2 and 3, it delivered the show that everyone had been waiting for.
Ferrari’s circumspect optimism
In the morning practice on Day 2, Charles Leclerc beat Verstappen’s record by eight tenths, and in the afternoon, Carlos Sainz, who was preparing for his eventual season-ending retirement, became the first driver to complete a lap around the track in under ninety seconds on the C4 tire.
Then, Leclerc finished Day 3 faster than Verstappen and Sergio Perez, clocking in at 1:30.322. Although it wasn’t much, it was sufficient to give Ferrari’s garage employees hope and show that Frederic Vasseur’s team is headed in the right direction. The Prancing Horse was finally living up to its moniker.
Even Christian Horner, a public relations executive who may be better than anyone at bragging about his team’s accomplishments, hesitated to predict that Red Bull would outperform its competitors.
Horner told the Bahraini media, “It’s hard to draw too many conclusions from times other than when we don’t know what flow those competitors are running on or how close they’re running.”
Therefore, we have no idea what we’re doing when we lap. We may have a nice foundation and a respectable car, in my opinion, and the drivers’ comments were positive.
Calculating the figures
The strongest indication of what to expect from the teams during the Bahrain race would come during the last long runs on Day 3. As it turned out, Red Bull was slower than Ferrari at this point, which made some wonder if the company was slyly sandbagging to give people false optimism.
Leclerc ran an average of 1:37.5 to 1:38.5 on the medium tire during his 18-lap run, according to F1 telemetry data. Verstappen, on the other hand, ran 15 laps on the same compound and finished comfortably in under 1 minute, 37 seconds. Sainz’s nine-lap effort saw him slip into the 1 minute 38 and 1 minute 39 ranges, which was even slower than Leclerc.
Even though the times listed are real, when the drivers return to Bahrain in eight days, it might not provide a fair and true gauge of pace. The fact that Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell both turned in faster lap times than Verstappen on their extended runs speaks volumes, even though it is unclear how much fuel they had on board during those laps.
Not that a Mercedes or a Visa CashApp RB won’t be fast this season; but, in the past, neither in the individual sectors nor throughout the three testing days, their vehicles have consistently finished last in a straight line. Compared to Verstappen, were they using less fuel? Was Verstappen running at full capacity and simulating his pace realistically on March 2 in Bahrain?
It’s still mostly a guessing game because only the teams know, and they won’t tell us. However, it’s an interesting show. With the exception of Red Bull, it was disheartening to watch Verstappen and company lead the rest of the field last season, but Ferrari might have given fans a hint of what was to come. Similar to 2022, it might be near.
Is Red Bull merely playing around?
Red Bull, of course, might be waiting to extend their dominance at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 2. When asked about his own prospects, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin had a pessimistic outlook for the remaining drivers on the field.
He told the Dutch press, “We are 19 drivers who think that we are not going to win the world championship.” Red Bull is now the dominant force in the sport, and Max is the winner. This year’s design was unexpected.
Therefore, we must wait and watch how things work before tipping our hats. I believe there is a lower likelihood of winning a race this year after seeing Red Bull’s RB20.
Ferrari may have more influence at this Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix after stopping Red Bull from winning a clean sweep in Singapore last year.
