The near pole in Sakhir doesn't take away the smile from Ferrari. The Maranello team closed qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix with the front row led by Charles Leclerc and the second by Carlos Sainz, confirming the good things shown on the flying lap in yesterday's winter tests and free practice.
At the end of the official tests, the Red team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, spoke to Sky Sport F1 to comment on the result just obtained. A Ferrari that satisfied, above all because it gave good signals right from the start of the season. Now it will have to be repeated in the race, where it seems to have already given better signals than in 2023 on tire degradation, but also on the developments that will have to lead it to improve and fight consistently with Red Bull.
Vasseur, are you satisfied with the result obtained in Qualifying in Sakhir or did you expect more?
“We were first in Q1 and first in Q2. You always expect first in Q3 but I think we weren't able to put everything together. But what we saw is encouraging. We managed to stay in pace until the end of the session. Now we'll see how things will go in the long run.”
She's smiling… She's obviously liking this Ferrari.
“I smile because I'm happy. We had said from the beginning that it was very difficult to comment on the results of the winter tests, because you never know how much fuel your opponents have, the engine maps used and so on. We were blind. But it was a question of tenths. One or two tenths can change the result and therefore the perception of a result. Now we know that we were all at the engine and petrol limits. This is a good picture and quite faithful to the picture we had at the end of the tests. But now what matters is the race.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
You are all very close on the flying lap. How important could it be to be close even in the race, including Red Bull?
“For us the most important thing would be to be able to put pressure on Red Bull. Last year they had such an advantage that they didn't have any problems in this regard. But if this year we are closer we can do it. If they are under pressure they are forced to make choices and have a less easy life.”
What are your expectations for tomorrow's race?
“Tomorrow? I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Last year we managed to improve well during the season. We started with the right pace this year. It will be important to have a good race this year. We will have to maintain the same level of concentration during the race too and then in the end we will see what our result will be.”
What will Ferrari have to do differently compared to what it did last season?
“We have made a good step forward in terms of pure performance and we have made progress in terms of degradation in the race. Now it will be important to be opportunistic and not leave points along the way. We will have to be much more concrete this year and try to take advantage of opportunities starting tomorrow. We will have to try to bring home a good amount of points.”
Have you already understood why Sainz was so far from Leclerc's performance in Q3?
“I don't know why Carlos was so far away in Q3 compared to Leclerc. Today the track was colder than the previous days and when there is traffic and you have to let cars pass you lose a bit of temperature in the tyres. So it becomes difficult to recover the situation. In the race the situation will be different, because lap after lap the tires gain temperature. So the situation will also be different from a degradation point of view.”
Can Ferrari aim to win tomorrow?
“It's difficult to have a picture in view of tomorrow's race. According to yesterday's simulations, Max has an advantage for tomorrow. Behind him all the others are quite close, with very close values. Almost with the same pace and same degradation for everyone The start will be important, but we have good feelings.”
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