F1 Talk: Can Ferrari bounce back in Bahrain?

The second round of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship will get underway this weekend in Bahrain with Ferrari looking for answers as to why they finished nearly a whole minute down on Valtteri Bottas in Melbourne.

Over the last few days I have been looking at the reasons as to why they are so slow compared to their rivals after showing supreme speed during pre-season testing in Barcelona.

My initial conclusions are that its a combination of some sort of engine problem and not getting on top of the set-up around the Albert Park circuit.

After Albert Park, I do not think Ferrari have the fastest car and will be surprised if they turn up and take pole position and/or win the Sakhir race this weekend.

In testing, the car was sensational in sectors one and two but then it consistently lost time in sector three to the Mercedes. Sector three at the Circuit de Catalunya contains a lot of slow corners and is similar to the first half of the lap at Albert Park. Strangely, this is where Ferrari lost the least amount of time whilst they lost a lot of time in the second half of the lap around Albert Park.

This suggests that setup has little to do with the slow pace. I tend to disagree.

The Ferrari looked very comfortable and easy to drive so a theory is that the setup they had in Australia was conservative, therefore the full potential of the car was not fully unlocked. Tyres remain a problem for everyone as the operating window is very narrow (just like last year) so it is quite possible that Ferrari did not get on top of the Pirelli tyres. Understeer appeared to be an issue for the Ferrari so not generating enough heat in the front tyres could be problematic for them.

This is a big problem though, as the track temperatures was 35-40 degrees celcius across the weekend. Generating tyre temperature should not have been an issue.

During the race, Vettel was asked to save a lot of fuel and from listening to his onboard you can definitely hear a significant amount of lifting and coasting. Did Ferrari make the silly error of underfuelling the car too much? Surely they didn’t bet on a safety car or at least a VSC as there have been in previous years at Melbourne.

The reality is, for me and many other experts, I am really not sure and I think the only people that do know are those inside the Ferrari team. It clearly came as a massive surprise as they were expected to be the pacesetters.

One thing for sure is that the problems they suffered in Melbourne will be exposed around 3.36 mile Bahrain International Circuit as the engine is vital. So if Ferrari have to turn their engine down for whatever reason we will know. Fuel consumption and brake wear is high, especially due to the long straights followed by the slow corners.

Vettel himself will be looking for a third straight win in Bahrain, so Ferrari need to have resolved their issues or else pressure will mount and big questions will have to be asked.

Red Bull actually looked strong last year in Bahrain despite the double DNF with signs of excellent pace when they were actually running on track. Pierre Gasly’s best result of his debut season came in Sakhir as he finished an incredible 4th in the Toro Rosso Honda. The Frenchman will be looking to settle in and match teammate Max Verstappen after a tough opening race two weeks ago.

Mercedes of course have to be favourites after an impressive start to the season and the circuit characteristics suiting their car. Bottas has performed well in Sakhir previously, outqualifying Hamilton in the last two years and taking his maiden pole position in 2017. If he can continue the form he showed in Australia, then we can start to believe he is a title contender.

Bahrain is a brilliant circuit for modern racing. The back-to-back long straights followed by large braking zones means we’ve seen plenty of battles over the years since its first race in 2004. A third DRS zone has been added this year on the straight for the run up to turn four. Hard braking zones at turn 8 and 10 as well as opportunities at 11 and 13 ensure that overtaking is perhaps the easiest on the calendar and race pace will be far more important than track position.

I am not a fan of the new DRS Zone, as we already used to see drivers go side by side up the hill towards turn four, but now we might see a simple DRS “fly-by” overtake. DRS should not make the overtake, you should still have to work for it but I fear it will be too powerful this Sunday because the DRS flap is wider this year and Bahrain as a track does not need it for good racing.

If the FIA were going to add an extra zone they should have done it on the straight prior to the final corners so a car can get close and then attack into turn one before the battle continues into turn four but without DRS.

In the midfield, Haas will be hoping for a repeat to their Australian success, where Kevin Magnessun was best of the rest in sixth. An early retirement from teammate Romain Grosjean ruined what could have been fruitful result and the Frenchman will want to avoid a repeat to his 2018 start, in which he retired from the first four races.

Renault, who were hoping to be making strides towards Red Bull this season seem to be stuck in the same battle with Haas but a promising run from Kimi Raikkonen at Melbourne could yet prove a tricky thorn for both. The Finn has recorded eight podiums at Bahrain, yet no win. While I am not suggesting silverware will be on the mind of Kimi this year his experience in a tight midfield could prove vital come Sunday.

Gasly’s termoil in Australia meant that all but two teams scored points last weekend, though one of those two, McLaren, may be aware of an opportunity missed if their engine cannot get them to the end of the Grand Prix this week.

In 2018, McLaren scored a double points finish in Bahrain and by the end of the race had accumulated over a third of their championship points for the year. Should the form book repeat itself, McLaren will be aware of how vital these pre-European weekends are to their eventual championship position. Another nil weekend will not be accpetable. Unfortunetly for them, Sainz (then driving for Renault) failed to pick up points in Bahrain last year. The only one of the opening eight rounds in which he didn’t.

Bahrain will host its sixteenth race this weekend. The first ever, held in 2004, was won by Michael Schumacher and Ferrari and it will be Bahrain where that combination combines again next week. Mick Schumacher will test for Ferrari during the first Official F1 Tests on Tuesday. The son of the seven time champion, who begins his F2 campaign this weekend at the circuit, will also be testing for the Alfa Romeo team as part of his duties in the Ferrari Drivers Academy.

Fellow FDA driver, Callum Ilott, will also be out in action later this year, with the Brit testing for Alfa Romeo during the Barcelona Tests in May.

Though while Ferrari’s future looks strong, thanks to Schumacher, Ilott and current driver Charles Leclerc, it will be their form this weekend that could be decisive for the year ahead.