Few changes expected for Ferrari in Bahrain
While its rivals Mercedes and Red Bull are planning significant modifications on their cars for Bahrain, the Scuderia is only anticipating minor changes to the F1-75.
The Italian team had excellent results in Barcelona last week. And with 439 laps under its belt, the Scuderia was the most productive, achieving some of the best times during these three days. Although the F1-75 seemed in great shape, it is highly likely that rival teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull still have some tricks up their sleeves.
The Spanish tests have sparked numerous discussions within the paddock. In theory, Mercedes and Red Bull would wait until Bahrain to unveil their biggest innovations for this season. Ferrari’s team principal, Mattia Binotto, has reacted to these assumptions.
« It won’t really be different compared to what we had [in Barcelona]. I think the first step for us will be to optimize what we have. We are still far from the best performance, not only because we use a lot of fuel and not the best engine mode, but simply because there is still a lot to exploit from the car itself. We are more focused on that, not only in terms of engineering settings, but also in terms of driving style and the drivers themselves. So let’s wait and see what the others bring. Certainly, as Ferrari, we are always interested in the improvements of our competitors. And I’m practically sure they will be very, very strong. », said Mattia Binotto.
With their 439 laps completed, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were able to test the F1-75 in the best possible way.
« In terms of mileage, we have done a lot of laps. » adds the team principal. « What is important since the first day, since the first morning, is that we gather information. I think it was important because these cars are different and the first goal is to learn about them. So the objective was to map the car in all conditions, and try to understand the correlations with the wind tunnel and the simulator. So far, we have clearly collected a lot of information. This correlation will be an exercise in the coming days, when we return to Maranello, to really try to cross-reference all the data. » concludes Mattia Binotto.
