Will we witness the cause for that concealed hope unfold in Jeddah during this upcoming weekend?
“Red Bull’s advantage was evident in Bahrain. However, it was a pleasant surprise to keep pace with them,” Carlos Sainz, who finished in third place, admits. “It is intriguing how they are able to prolong the lifespan of the C3 tire compared to others. They also tend to experience less overheating. Perhaps that is why their car is not as competitive in qualifying but excels in the race on a track like Bahrain.
“More importantly, we have made significant progress. This is a relief because the last time I was able to aggressively pursue victory was in Austria, approximately 13 to 14 races ago. I enjoy being on the offensive, but it was simply impossible with last year’s car. Therefore, I truly wished that we would have a car capable of racing and attacking this year, and that is exactly what we have! We displayed exceptional race pace last week, and it felt fantastic to secure third place.”
Charles Leclerc encountered more challenges in Bahrain due to brake balance issues, but he still managed to secure fourth place. “My problem did not improve throughout the race, but it allowed me to maintain consistency,” Leclerc explained after skillfully guiding his SF-24 to the finish line. “Considering all the circumstances, finishing fourth was a commendable effort. However, I am disappointed because I genuinely believe that second place was well within reach last weekend.”
“I do not believe there were many takeaways from my race, but I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to achieve relatively good lap times despite the car feeling completely out of sync. Overall, my pace exceeded my expectations given the issue, so that is a positive outcome for us,” the Monegasque driver added.
Fred Vasseur expressed his frustration with the problems encountered in Bahrain. “Bahrain was not a flawless experience for us. We encountered numerous minor issues during qualifying and the race,” grumbled the team boss. “The positive aspect is that we managed to bridge 50% of the gap to Red Bull in the race compared to last year. Additionally, Charles set the fastest lap in the Q2 session, which indicated our potential for pole position. However, it is evident that this is insufficient, and once again, we faced too many complications.
“That being said, we were able to compete with them in the latter part of the race. Therefore, I believe we have a great opportunity and a much stronger foundation to build upon this year. It is easier for the drivers to connect with the car and enhance its performance. This was far more challenging last year. However, the top ten positions are now much closer in Jeddah. Moreover, the circuit layout and tarmac differ significantly, so Saturday will present an entirely distinct narrative.
“I am content with the points we earned in Bahrain, so let us remain focused on this weekend and start anew.”
So, what can we infer from all of this? Not much, except that we now have a significantly better starting point with the SF-24. It is evident that Ferrari is working tirelessly to narrow the gap while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on their competitors. Here’s to a trouble-free Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Ferrari…