Ferrari Pre-Season Testing: What we learnt from Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s F1-75 runs in Bahrain
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Ferrari's new livery for 2022, the F1-75
Ferrari may have suffered misfortunes and bad form across the last two seasons in Formula One. But Scuderia has been shown real improvements under their new regulation cars. With Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc setting the pace, the Italian team seems to be the favourite pick across the grid.
Ferrari last won the title in 2007 and their last race win came in the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel. The teams seem resilient and look to make some big news despite the regulations changes. With the Pre-season testing coming to a close, find out how the three-day pre-season shakedown played out for the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc with the upgraded F1-75 at Bahrain.
Also Read: “Most of them are going in their direction,” Carlos Sainz optimistic…
Carlos Sainz Lap timings and laps completed
Carlos Sainz was the absolute poster boy of the Pre-season testing. The Spaniard along with his teammate sealed the top 3 on the first day and set the fastest lap timing of the second day of practice with a time of 1:33:532. Although he finished only P13 on the final day of practice, Sainz managed to complete 180 laps and had the best weekend overall.
Sainz was fearless in duelling with Verstappen with the two going Wheel-to-Wheel with 40 minutes to go for the end of the first day. Sainz’s consistent performances made him and his team a serious contender in the 2022 Formula one season.
| Day | Rank | No of Laps Completed | Fastest Lap time |
| Day 1 | P2 | 52 | 1:34:359 |
| Day 2 | P1 | 60 | 1:33:532 |
| Day 3 | P13 | 68 | 1:34:905 |
Charles Leclerc Lap timings and laps completed
Charles Leclerc was just as good in cementing Ferrari as a serious contender for the season. The Monagesque ranked P3 at the end of day 1, P6 at the end of day 2 and P2 at the end of day 3. His best timing was 1:32:415 which was the fastest until Max Verstappen beat it. Leclerc showed pace along the 3 days and completed 169 laps across the 3 days.
| Day | Rank | No of Laps Completed | Fastest Lap time |
| Day 1 | P3 | 64 | 1:34:531 |
| Day 2 | P6 | 54 | 1:34:366 |
| Day 3 | P2 | 51 | 1:32:415 |
Struggles faced by Ferrari
Ferrari showed a wonderful form across the 3 days of testing. The team continued to showcase a consistent and progressive performance since Barcelona where the Scuderia managed to cover the highest number of laps by any team.
The team looked strong ahead of the season opener in Bahrain but still struggled Porpoising – the bouncing effect that the 2022 cars are facing causing the car to lose pace and control in long straights. Team Principal Mattia Binotto says the team must focus on the “bouncing” issues to unlock the best of the F1-75.
Take away for Ferrari
Ferrari looks stronger than ever as the Italian outfit has set the pace across both the Pre-season tests in Barcelona and Bahrain. With a total of 349 laps set in Bahrain and 788 across the twos sessions, Ferrari has managed the highest mileage this season.
With Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc showing overwhelming performances and receiving critical acclaim in the paddock, the duo is favourites to book places on the podium in the first race of the season. Bahrain hosts the first round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship, the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 18-20.
Also Read: Charles Leclerc skeptical of Mercedes and Red Bull “hiding their game,”…
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Tejas Venkatesh
(366 Articles Published)