Earlier than fully shifting focus to the fifth spherical of the 2025 Method 1 season, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, let’s take yet another take a look at some key insights from Ferrari’s weekend on the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain Worldwide Circuit in Sakhir. The Italian facet made a small step ahead in comparison with the primary a part of the weekend, though the outcome stays inadequate. The Maranello crew is attempting to optimise the SF-25 automotive following the introduction of a brand new ground, however the step ahead in tyre administration continues to be lacking. That is an space that requires quite a lot of effort, as a result of as we all know, tyres play a vital position within the prime class of motorsport.
Given the degradation seen within the first two free observe classes, the Ferrari engineers and technicians opted for a extra versatile technique, with the intention of extending the primary stint and higher managing tyre put on. This alternative solely paid off with Charles Leclerc, who, after a poor begin as a consequence of decrease grip, was in a position to keep a tempo just like the drivers forward of him.
Lewis Hamilton, then again, repeatedly complained a few lack of grip and solely within the last a part of the stint was he in a position to enhance his sector instances. The efficiency enchancment of each Ferrari drivers helped to minimise tyre put on all through the stint. A word that we are able to nonetheless see in a constructive gentle.
Oscar Piastri managed his tempo by sustaining a minimal hole to George Russell to forestall him from utilizing the drag discount system. As seen primarily based on the telemetry information from the ultimate a part of the primary stint, Oscar Piastri was removed from pushing the automotive to its restrict. In the meantime, George Russell was skilful in managing tyre put on. Benefiting from a softer rear setup, the Briton made good use of the throttle on nook exit, stopping his rival from overtaking.
Purple Bull concluded probably the most troublesome weekend because the begin of the 2025 Method 1 season within the worst potential manner. Larger temperatures and errors made in the course of the pit cease tyre adjustments prevented Max Verstappen from working his typical race. The issues started already within the qualifying session, forcing the reigning world champion right into a comeback drive. Caught within the midfield, the four-time Method 1 world champion couldn’t management overheating and complained of lack of grip all through the stint. Based mostly on the information associated to tyre degradation we are able to see that tyre put on with the Laborious compound was excessive, forcing the Milton Keynes crew into an early pit cease. Ferrari, then again, hit their efficiency peak exactly on this part of the race, with Charles Leclerc being the quickest on observe.
The Ferrari drivers skilled just about no degradation, and Lewis Hamilton was in truth the quickest on observe shortly earlier than the Security Automobile was deployed. On this part, nevertheless, the Monegasque driver suffered from the turbulence in George Russell’s slipstream, which prevented him from managing overheating. The Monegasque’s purpose was to finish the overtake on the Brit rapidly, however Mercedes’ robust finish of straight velocity prevented it.
Bahrain GP third stint: Ferrari suffers from extreme degradation on the Laborious
Lastly, let’s deal with the final part of the Bahrain Grand Prix after the Security Automobile. On medium tyres, Oscar Piastri confirmed all of McLaren’s dominance on this observe, with the Australian lapping over half a second sooner per lap than his rivals. The cooler temperatures in comparison with Saturday restricted this benefit, which had appeared better in the course of the free observe classes.
Lando Norris didn’t present the identical efficiency as his McLaren teammate, being slowed first by Charles Leclerc after which by George Russell. All different vehicles struggled with tyre degradation administration in a stint run in dash race mode. Because the telemetry information additionally confirms, each Ferrari drivers did not handle the damage of the toughest compound. The Maranello automotive was closely restricted by understeer which, as Lewis Hamilton confirmed over the radio, prevented the mandatory rotation to get probably the most out of the automotive. The difficulty lies within the issue of conserving the toughest compound at optimum temperature, thus limiting the grip obtainable to the drivers.
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