Scuderia Ferrari are for many the team to beat at the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend, after the famous team concluded what has been a brilliant test for them at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The final day of pre-season testing saw both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr behind the wheel of the F1-75, the Ferrari drivers completed 119 laps combined. Sainz Jr ran during the morning session, posting a best time of 1:34.905, the Spaniard did run however on mainly the harder compounds of Pirelli tyres. Leclerc on the other hand used the softer tyres in the afternoon session and into the evening, the Monegasques’ best time was a 1:32.415. Leclerc completed 51 laps, seventeen less than his team-mate.
Ferrari Team Principal & Managing Director, Mattia Binotto, doesn’t want the team to get too far ahead of themselves and draw any conclusions, Binotto believes it’s very difficult to predict where each team will be placed come the season opener next weekend.
“We cannot draw any definite conclusions, because it will take a few races before we can get a picture of the pecking order among the teams. However, what we can say now is that these past few days have been positive for us. We were well prepared for these test sessions, as can be seen from the fact we were able to run consistently, without any significant issues, which allowed us to complete more laps than any other team. Our main aim was to gather as much data as possible to understand this completely new car, correlating it with what we had from our tools back in the factory, primarily the simulator.
“It’s very hard to say where we are in performance terms and there’s no reason why the frontrunners from last season should not once again be the favourites. We will try to be ahead of the chasing pack, which I hope to be very evenly matched.
“Our car is a good basis on which to build and to maximise its potential given that, with such a long season, car development will play a vital role. Charles and Carlos came into these tests in great shape and they have made a major contribution to us getting the most out of these days. Finally, it’s great to see so many different interpretations of the rules among all the teams. We can expect a very interesting season!
