Earlier than fully shifting focus to the fifth spherical of the 2025 Components 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 aspect made a small step ahead in comparison with the primary a part of the weekend, though the end result stays inadequate. The Maranello group is making an attempt 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 loads of effort, as a result of as we all know, tyres play an important position within the high class of motorsport.
Given the degradation seen within the first two free apply periods, the Ferrari engineers and technicians opted for a extra versatile technique, with the goal 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 result of decrease grip, was in a position to keep a tempo much like the drivers forward of him.
Lewis Hamilton, however, repeatedly complained a couple of 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 notice that we are able to nonetheless see in a optimistic 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 based mostly on the telemetry knowledge 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.
Pink Bull concluded essentially the most troublesome weekend because the begin of the 2025 Components 1 season within the worst attainable approach. Greater temperatures and errors made in the course of the pit cease tyre adjustments prevented Max Verstappen from working his common 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 Components 1 world champion couldn’t management overheating and complained of lack of grip all through the stint. Primarily based on the information associated to tyre degradation we are able to see that tyre put on with the Onerous compound was excessive, forcing the Milton Keynes group into an early pit cease. Ferrari, however, hit their efficiency peak exactly on this section of the race, with Charles Leclerc being the quickest on observe.
The Ferrari drivers skilled just about no degradation, and Lewis Hamilton was actually the quickest on observe shortly earlier than the Security Automotive was deployed. On this section, nonetheless, 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 shortly, however Mercedes’ robust finish of straight velocity prevented it.
Bahrain GP third stint: Ferrari suffers from extreme degradation on the Onerous
Lastly, let’s deal with the final section of the Bahrain Grand Prix after the Security Automotive. 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 higher in the course of the free apply periods.
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 automobiles struggled with tyre degradation administration in a stint run in dash race mode. Because the telemetry knowledge additionally confirms, each Ferrari drivers didn’t handle the wear and tear 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 essentially the most out of the automotive. The difficulty lies within the issue of retaining the toughest compound at optimum temperature, thus limiting the grip accessible to the drivers.
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