Has Ferrari emerged as a serious ‘title contender’ and an imminent threat to Mercedes and Red Bull after its impressive showing in Barcelona and Bahrain?
Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull
Ferrari has been one of the household names in Formula 1 and is also one of the crowd’s favorite. The Italian giants have been in a transition period for the best part of a decade now with Red Bull and Mercedes dominating the front end of the grid. Ferrari have been unable to bring together a title winning car for the drivers to go out and give a proper shot.
This all might be about to change. The pre season testing both in Barcelona and Bahrain have given the Italian giants something substantial to build on. Out of the two drivers, Charles Leclerc has definitely looked the brighter. While Carlos Sainz has also been there and there about, the Spaniard hasn’t been able to do it consistently enough.
Ferrari definitely turned some heads in the Paddock. The two heavyweights, Red Bull and Mercedes, have definitely recognized the threat coming their way. The Italian giants have been the pace setters in most of the sessions that have taken part in. The signs are positive for Ferrari as they keep taking giant strides in their quest to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes at the top of the grid.
Can Ferrari upset Red Bull and Mercedes by making it a three horse race at the top of the grid?
Helmut Marko even went on to say, “The first balance of the test in Barcelona was that Ferrari overtook Mercedes and Red Bull,” and to everyone’s surprise, Toto Wolff agreed with it. He said, ““Ferrari has the strongest engine at the moment.” As reported by planetf1.
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 two sessions, Ferrari has managed the highest mileage this season.
But the job is anything but done as Ferrari continues to struggle with 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.
Apart from this, Ferrari doesn’t know what Mercedes and Red Bull will have to offer, come race day. There has been speculation that this might be some sort of underplay to divert attention. Therefore, Ferrari should stay focused and keep the eye on the ball. But, based on the evidence from the two testing sessions both in Barcelona and Bahrain, this could well be a three horse race at the front of the grid.
Shubham Bajpai
(776 Articles Published)