Charles Leclerc – Max Verstappen, best lap telemetry comparison from FP1 in Bahrain. Telemetry comparison from FP1.

First free practice session of the season, very first results, albeit totally preliminary. RedBull confirms itself as the best car: the impression is of a car with aerodynamic load and power, well balanced that in fact outclasses Bottas’ Mercedes in the first results in many points along the Bahrain track.

Ferrari, on the other hand, showed very low numbers from the point of view of engine power. Very low straight-line speeds and little traction start suggesting a Power Unit deliberately kept at an extremely conservative regime. Logic, however, is not lacking in the Maranello team in this case: if it is true, as anticipated, that the new power unit is particularly sensitive to temperatures, immediately risking problems in a hot desert afternoon would not make sense, especially because extremely lower temperatures are foreseen both for the evenings, but above all for the race. In general, in the second part of the lap, Charles Leclerc’s results are not so different from those of Mercedes, confirming a meeting point on the rear of the car, which improved in Maranello and worsened in Brackley.