Ferrari enters the Bahrain GP weekend with a ton of expectations after introducing a new upgrade package on the SF-25. With below-par results so far in the season, the Scuderia’s drivers are counting on this package to improve their performance, but Lewis Hamilton isn’t feeling satisfied with how the car has behaved till now.
During FP1 on Friday, the seven-time world champion was unhappy with the handling of the car as he labeled it “horrendous” after just one push lap around the Sakhir International Circuit. It is unclear whether the problem was setup-related or just a fundamental issue of the SF-25.
If it is a fundamental problem, Ferrari will have to work to iron out that issue as soon as possible, as it may compromise Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s ability to extract the maximum pace from the car. While the Briton did finish third in FP1, he was almost six-tenths off Lando Norris’ table-topping McLaren.
While this could easily be down to the SF-25’s pace deficit, driver coach Martin Villari also explained how the Ferrari drivers, particularly Hamilton, have been taking a different racing line into the turn nine and ten sections, which is one of the toughest corners on the entire F1 calendar.
Since there is a downhill braking into a tight left-hander at turn 10, most drivers often lock up at this section and compromise their exit out of the corner down the straight following it till turn 11. In his latest Instagram video, Villari highlighted that there is an ‘ideal’ line to take this corner:
“There is an ideal line through turns 9 and 10. And it is pretty much to go around nine. So the reason it’s around nine is because I just feel you can carry more speed [into 10],” he said. Villari added that this line is much better than the complex line Hamilton has been taking, which involves the short corner method and complicates the turn-in phase.
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In the complex line, the car has to turn a lot more after hitting the apex of turn nine, which doesn’t make it easy for drivers to smoothly navigate the tighter turn 10. On the other hand, in the ‘ideal line’, “You are adding, adding, adding, adding steering lock beautifully, and the load builds and builds. I just feel you can carry more speed from that position.”
However, as easy as it is to analyze this ‘ideal’ line on the simulator, real-life factors like the car’s downforce and grip levels also affect how a driver approaches the turn 9-10 section in Bahrain. With Ferrari lacking downforce, they could easily be struggling for grip around such corners.
So, it won’t be a cakewalk for Hamilton and Leclerc to just switch over to this line if the SF-25 doesn’t comply accordingly. Moreover, the handling characteristics of the car also come into play, besides how the particular driver wishes to attack that corner.
Nevertheless, Hamilton can try this ‘ideal’ line in FP3 and qualifying, and if it works by giving him a couple of tenths of benefit, then that would be a welcome change for the #44 driver.
