One way to understand if Ferrari has improved, also weighing the pace of the opponents, is to make a comparison with the qualifying and the race which took place last year Bahrain. Although in the latter case everything the outcome was affected by the incidents of Romain Grosjean and then of Lance Stroll, while also not ignoring the engine failure for Sergio Perez’s Racing Point.
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera pinpoints that in fact “the Amaranth Red in the inaugural GP must prove to be cured, and must do so on the same track where only four months ago it reached one of the worst moments of an already horrible year. In qualifying the gap from poleman Lewis Hamilton (1’27 ”264) was one second and 9 tenths, both cars out of the top ten; and the agony continued in the race with Charles Leclerc, tenth and lapped. And it is good that we start again right here, on a severe circuit from many points of view that will allow us to evaluate the extent of the Ferrari’s recovery. In Sakhir for every ten horses gained, the lap time drops by about two tenths . And it is essential to keep fuel consumption under control, 10 kilos of fuel are worth almost three tenths.”
According to the first data collected in the tests, the engine has improved as well as the top speeds, thus giving good hopes in this regard. But it would not be enough: it will be necessary to take advantage of the aerodynamic changes to limit another disadvantage from last year and aim for more points. After all, no one expects a winning Ferrari: more likely a race ‘in the middle’.
“The main actor, Mercedes, is making its seasonal debut as a stunt double. In what was heralded as a year of transition towards the regulatory revolution of 2022, uncertainty reigns instead. Is the era of the much-desired unpredictability beginning? Certainly Mercedes, which 16 weeks ago nailed their 7th title in a row in the history books, appeared two weeks ago at the tests in reduced format, only three days, on the Persian Gulf: unreliable, nervous especially in the wind. Lewis Hamilton was forced to run off track several times, going into a spin and then into the gravel. To replace the 7-time world champion and his spaceship, there is a gleaming Red Bull. Just a mirage?” – the Italian newspaper La Repubblica asks itself, looking far beyond Ferrari’s possible position in the standings. In fact, the improvement of others will also have to be evaluated, given that the tests were too short to have a clear image.
The SF21 is “a close relative of the SF1000 but fortunately it is not identical” – writes the Gazzetta dello Sport – “The chassis is the same, but it was possible to work in depth on the power unit and on the aerodynamics. The first has been redesigned to integrate better: the combustion chamber and all the hybrid and electronic components have been revised; the second brought a narrower and thinner rear, new suspension and gearbox. The body has been redesigned. Substantial updates that allowed the Maranello team to gain speed on the straights”. At this point, only the response of the stopwatch is missing, not that of the tests, but that of the real pace, from the Grand Prix.
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