Bahrain Grand Prix: Alfa Romeo making progress, confirmation in the race?
Giovinazzi just missed out on Q3, finishing twelfth on the grid, ahead of team-mate Räikkönen, who was fourteenth. A good omen for the race, where points could be within reach for Frédéric Vasseur's team.
Apart from Max Verstappen’s pole position in Bahrain and the four-tenths penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton, other performances are worth noting. Among them, an improvement in Alfa Romeo’s position in the hierarchy, especially in qualifying.
For the first time since the Turkish Grand Prix last year, both Clover cars extracted themselves from Q1, to which they were accustomed. This progression is partly due to the almost 30 extra horsepower gained by the Ferrari V6. The team based in Hinwill, Switzerland, is also reaping the rewards of good work on the front of the car.
If Kimi Räikkönen was unable to secure his place in Q3, Antonio Giovinazzi, on the other hand, held an excellent sixth place just a few seconds before the end of the session, before being overtaken and then eliminated after the checkered flag.
The two drivers will still start not far from the points. As per the regulation for drivers outside the top 10, Räikkönen and especially Giovinazzi, will start with the tires of their choice. A stroke of luck for the start.
The points in Alfa Romeo’s sights?
In addition to having made progress on one lap, the Swiss-Italian cars could also get involved in the tight battle for the top 10. Räikkönen was unable to properly work on his long stints after running off track in FP2. But this event should not disturb the 2007 world champion!
Points are in any case clearly conceivable for Alfa Romeo in Bahrain.
