Ferrari’s start to the season turned out to be a bag of mixed results. Carlos Sainz drove a brilliant race, finishing third followed by his teammate Charles Leclerc finishing fourth. But neither Ferrari was able to challenge the Red Bulls, something Fred Vasseur feels will change in the upcoming race.
The Italian team, as revealed by Vasseur, wants to be different in Jeddah, as per Junaid Samodien on X. He said, “Jeddah will be a totally different race, the asphalt is much smoother and this will have a positive effect on degradation. We will start from zero in terms of performance.”
In terms of race pace, Ferrari seemed much better in Bahrain compared to last year. Sainz himself admitted that their horrendous tire wear prevented him from fighting for positions on several occasions last year. This year, those issues seem to have been resolved. Leclerc, however, was not too happy with his car.
There was a problem with the Monegasque’s front-left brake duct, that caused him to lock up in almost every turn of the circuit for a long time in the race. He was visibly frustrated, and couldn’t trust his brakes enough to make moves or push to the limit.
Leclerc started P2 but lost places to George Russell, Sergio Perez, and Sainz. A power unit issue made it easy for Leclerc to overtake the Mercedes of Russell, but he was still far off where he wanted to be. P3 and P4 wasn’t too bad, but Vasseur and Ferrari want to cross the next hurdle.
Ferrari vows to stop Red Bull
Red Bull began their season in dominant fashion, picking up where they left off in 2023. Verstappen took the Pole Position on Friday, claimed his 55th race win, clinched the fastest lap, and led every single lap on Saturday to wrap up the Bahrain race weekend with a Grand Slam.
Perez too was strong, claiming three places to finish second behind his three-time world champion teammate.
Vasseur does not want a repeat of this and looks to the Saudi Arabian GP for changes. Since the tarmac of the venue is different, the strategy will change.
Interestingly, McLaren star driver Lando Norris also opened up on this. He expects the grid to get closer, and Verstappen to feel the heat.
