F1 | Ferrari: first stint in defense and then in attack for Red Bull?

Max Verstappen's pole position may have dampened some of the enthusiasm that arose while waiting for the first world race. The three-time world champion made his 33rd start from the pole simply by reaping the maximum potential he had available, while the two Ferrari drivers, with an SF-24 that was superior to the Red Bull on the flying lap, were skewered by the The Dutchman made small mistakes that cost him dearly.

The “cold” of Sakhir (18 degrees of air and 21 degrees of asphalt) affected the preparatory lap for the flying one and, probably, the drivers arrived at turn 1 with the tire not yet in the right operating window, so Leclerc and Sainz had to deal with the tendency to oversteer at the limit and with an empty tank.

The key is not aerodynamic, but it seems to be only mechanical: the red has solved the design problems that plagued the SF-23 last year. The choice to lengthen the frame by 50 mm by shortening the gearbox made it possible to find a layout that offers riders more balanced behavior which allows the life of the tires to be extended. It must be said that the aerodynamic care of Diego Tondi's staff also gave its results: in Bahrain the wind wanted to be the protagonist with sudden and irregular gusts and the Cavallino single-seater seemed less conditioned compared to the serious difficulties recorded last year when the gusts were diagonal.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Ferrari wasted the opportunity to put a red car in pole position, but the points are awarded at the end of the race and the Scuderia paid great attention to preparing for the race. The SF-24 with the soft compound, which will be used at the start, showed a gap from the Red Bull of a couple of tenths per lap in the long runs, while maintaining a consistent performance throughout the stint. The Cavallino's objective, at least on paper, will be to not attack Max in the early stages and try to contain the gap from the RB20 until the first pit stop, trusting that the red car can be competitive with the hard compound, say the C1.

Ferrari, in fact, performed very well in the tests with the white tire and the hope is that Red Bull has not yet reached the top of the set-up of the RB20 and that it still has some small youth problems.

In Maranello they hoped to have solved the problems with the soft tires in the simulator: the settings tested on the new rear suspension have not yet given the desired result. Even if the layout has remained the well-known pull rod one, the kinematic mechanisms have changed with the lever no longer protruding from the triangles towards the front, but remaining inside. The engineers have changed to give riders more opportunities for adjustments. The fact is that the square has not yet been found and there will still be a need for work.

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

The initial waiting tactic will only be possible if Carlos Sainz, fourth, manages to contain George Russell's Mercedes. La Stella, in fact, could have a good pace with the W15 and we will find out in the facts if the Spaniard will play a tactical match that will favor the Cavallino's team play…