There are some certainties and a few unanswered questions. Ferrari leaves the Sakhir weekend with one of the best haul of the spherical after the untouchable McLaren. The fourth place achieved by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s comeback fifth enable the Scuderia to gather invaluable factors in a nonetheless missing Constructors’ rating.
Then there’s the ‘podium’ difficulty, which is beginning to change into an issue, because the workforce nonetheless hasn’t scored a top-three end because the starting of the season. On this entrance, there’s a key query: how a lot did the looks of the protection automotive on lap thirty-two price Ferrari?
Ferrari (the one prime workforce to take action) selected to begin the race on medium tyres. The plan was to maintain a wider window in the course of the first stint to evaluate technique, a alternative confirmed after the primary cease when each Leclerc and Hamilton fitted one other set of mediums. The second cease was deliberate for round lap forty, simply over fifteen laps from the chequered flag, however the security automotive pressured all of the automobiles into the pits on lap thirty-two.
“With out the protection automotive we may have chosen between tender and onerous,” Fred Vasseur defined, “however having to pit with twenty-five laps to go, the tender was now not an choice.”
Ferrari opted for the safer route, going with the hards — the least performing compound however the one which assured reaching the end line with out surprises. “The security automotive ruined our plans and possibly that’s the place we misplaced one of the best alternatives to safe a podium,” added Fred Vasseur.
Mercedes, nevertheless, performed their wild card with Russell, going for the softs — a alternative that paid off in the long run. Nevertheless it’s necessary to bear in mind the second the Scuderia goes via, particularly after the double zero from the disqualifications in Shanghai. The crucial now could be to benefit from each alternative. “I don’t assume the tender was an choice for us,” admitted Leclerc after the race, “and I don’t assume it might have modified a lot anyway.”
Issues may need turned out in a different way if Ferrari’s strategists had gone together with Leclerc’s thought of a one-stop race. “At one level it appeared like the best option to me,” Charles defined, “however we did the best factor, particularly contemplating the protection automotive got here out afterwards.” With a cease beneath the protection automotive, which might have then been utilized by direct rivals, Leclerc would have ended up a lot additional down the ultimate standings.
The 57 laps in Sakhir validated the technical updates delivered to Bahrain. “McLaren remains to be a step forward, however we fought with them within the second stint and we managed to battle with each the Mercedes and the Purple Bulls,” was Fred Vasseur’s evaluation.
Undoubtedly, Ferrari in Sakhir confirmed higher potential than Purple Bull, whereas within the direct struggle with Russell’s Mercedes, one thing was nonetheless lacking. The race, nevertheless, restored morale to Hamilton, who had appeared very downcast and self-critical after qualifying.
“Right this moment we see that very small margins make an enormous distinction,” Fred Vasseur defined. “It wasn’t like that three or 4 years in the past when a five-tenths loss price you a place or a row. Right this moment with that hole, you drop six or seven locations. I appreciated the response Lewis had yesterday, I did my finest to inspire him a bit and right this moment he was in nice form. We’ll restart from there forward of subsequent week. It’s nonetheless early concerning Lewis’s adaptation to the workforce and the automotive — it appears he’s struggling a bit greater than Charles with rear-end stability and high-speed sections, however we’ll work to fulfill him midway, and he’ll do the identical for us.”
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