Bahrain GP: The Time for Revenge Has Come for Scuderia Ferrari
After a challenging first stage for Ferrari, the Reds are preparing to return to a circuit where they have dominated for the past two years.
The teams are meeting this weekend for the second race of the year, an opportunity for all teams to assess their standing and draw conclusions about their performance in the pack. Ferrari, the favorite at the dawn of the 2019 season, is expected to be in the spotlight in the Bahrain desert.
Sakhir, the Ferrari playground
With its 6 victories since 2004, Ferrari is the team holding the record for the most wins on this circuit. Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, and also Sebastian Vettel in 2017 and 2018, have all crossed the finish line in first place at this Grand Prix.
The race of confirmation
Eagerly awaited, the SF90 single-seater did not deliver for the inaugural race of the championship. The urban track of Melbourne is certainly not the circuit to judge pure speed performance, which is why Manama will be the first real test to demonstrate the full potential of the single-seaters and more specifically the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc. With its succession of straight lines, including the pit straight which stretches over 1 kilometer, and the improvement in the DRS efficiency with a wider opening, overtaking attempts will be more effective. Not to mention the impact of the highly coveted point for the fastest lap in the race.
The threat of the Honda engine
A little rewind to April 8, 2018, the Frenchman Pierre Gasly finished just off the podium with a Honda Toro Rosso collaboration still in its infancy. Ferrari, whose threat has always been the Silver Arrows, must now watch out for Gasly, at the wheel of a Red Bull with performances that have impressed many, in search of his first career podium to make up for his qualifying failure two weeks earlier.
The probable hierarchy change among the Reds
The qualifying session in Bahrain will set the tone internally at Ferrari, as we saw in Melbourne. Charles Leclerc, the rookie driver for Ferrari, has already embarrassed Binotto’s team by requesting to attack Vettel. If he qualifies in a better position or has a more clear overtaking opportunity during the race in Sakhir, will the team in red yield to the Monegasque’s pressure at the risk of creating a precedent since Vettel’s arrival from Red Bull?
Whatever the result, this Sunday will be crucial for the rest of the championship for the Maranello team.
