Many of us would’ve been slightly disappointed (though not surprised) by Mercedes’ tremendous performance in the Australian GP a couple of weeks ago. Red Bull looked promising, and Ferrari looked just plain old slow.
There’s a lot of discussion as to why Ferrari, who looked so good in pre-season testing, were so slow in Australia. Many fans, including ourselves, are not convinced that Ferrari were able to show the true pace of their car. Some of the blame was placed on the bumpy nature of the Melbourne circuit – the Ferrari’s unique front wing perhaps could not work at its full potential due to increased vibrations.
Other explanations were less obscure – with many pointing to Ferrari-powered cars being slow in the speed traps, implying problems for the engine supplier as a whole over the course of the weekend. In qualifying, both Raikkonen and Grosjean reported engine performance anomalies. This could be very worrying for the boys in red, as they had the luxury of having the best engine last year.
Whether or not it was a Melbourne-specific problem will be determined this weekend, with Bahrain being a circuit where Ferrari have been exceptional for the last 2 years. Let’s hope Mercedes don’t have another stroll to the flag this weekend!
What else to look out for this weekend? Keep an eye on the battle between the “F1.5” runners – things look to be more closely matched than ever among teams like Toro Rosso, Haas, Renault and Alfa Romeo, and McLaren and Racing Point also snapping at their heels. With 3 DRS zones in use at the already overtaking-friendly Sakhir circuit, we should be in for a wild ride come Sunday.