In Bahrain’s Free Practice 1 and 2, Ferrari showed solid, yet unexpected performance levels, not leading as in winter tests.
Ferrari experienced a solid day in Bahrain during Free Practice 1 and 2, yet, unlike winter testing, they did not feature at the top of the timesheets.
Charles Leclerc was 9th at the end of Free Practice 2, due to a mistake on his fast lap, which would have otherwise placed him tentatively in 3rd.
“It seemed good, no big surprises on our side, so that’s a good thing. No bad surprises, no good surprises, the car is as we expected. We completed our program, I made a mistake on my fast lap but our main focus is on making progress tomorrow. Mercedes appears quick, which was a surprise for us, but we don’t know what fuel load they were on, we’ll get our answers tomorrow.”
Is Mercedes F1’s pace worrying?
“I don’t know, I always hope to understand better after the first day of the year but it’s not always clear. We have to wait for tomorrow and focus on ourselves, we are happy with the feel of the car and we have to wait for tomorrow.”
“Regarding degradation, it seemed good, I felt comfortable with the car, and it’s a much better start than last year, where it was very difficult to find the window to optimize the car. Here, we know we are in the right window to make the most of the car and maximize this weekend.”
Leclerc is fairly confident about competing at the front.
“I would be surprised if that’s not the case. The question is how far ahead Red Bull will be, but I would be surprised not to be among the others.”
Carlos Sainz clocked the 4th fastest time, confirming the SF-24’s strong single-lap form with a validated time.
“It was a more challenging test day than with lower temperatures and stronger winds, making consistency on the track more difficult,” notes Carlos Sainz, after setting the 4th fastest time in Free Practice 2, four-tenths off Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes F1.
“Obviously, we don’t know the running plans of the others, but in terms of competitiveness, it seems we are more or less where we expected. Apart from that, I think we had a good Thursday, completing our entire program and testing the tires. It’s now time to analyze the data and prepare for tomorrow’s qualifying. I’m looking forward to it, it seems like it’s going to be close!”
Ferrari Bahrain Free Practice. Ferrari Bahrain Free Practice
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