Formula 1: Ferrari is on top form in Bahrain test weekend

It was 2017 when Ferrari was on the contenders’ list for the championship fight. Sebastian Vettel is the only driver to give a battle to the latest winner Lewis Hamilton.

After a few years of darkness and new regulations, Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz gained top forms during Bahrain test weekend. Ferrari used the testing weekend to complete the development of the 2022 single-seater. Signs of progress are evident on track. With the 349 laps, the pilots clocked in great returns in terms of pace and lap time. Verstappen and Hamilton, in their interviews already mentioned Ferrari as great pre-season performers.

Bahrain Test Weekend and the Pre-season

Pre-seasons are just merely indicators. Though with the understanding of the hypothesis that other teams, such as Red Bull and Mercedes, are not keen to expose themselves to their rivals, bringing in other development and technologies that will advance their car blueprints. But Ferrari is in great form, the car is labeled as easy to drive, the drivers expressed their satisfaction for how the car handles the weight distribution and great fluidity in turns.

2022 is the year of major changes in the races, which involved major touch-ups to the design of the cars in response to FIA regulations. Mattia Binotto, team principal, claimed that Ferrari has been heavily invested in bringing the Scuderia back to title contenders in previous years. Four years in the works, Ferrari looks to bring some returns this year.

“We Will See You Back in Two Years”

With Ferrari struggling in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, fans were wondering if Ferrari would have ever returned to bring a competitive team in Formula 1. The team principal  communicated with the public in a very transparent way, aiming all the efforts of Maranello towards all the major changes FIA applied to car and racing regulations. For the past years, Binotto has been confirming that Ferrari was “about 16/20 hp behind the top cars (Mercedes and Red Bull)” but the goal was to limit the gap with two years of intense work to enter the 2022 season on top form.

What Changed during the Bahrain Test Weekend

First of all, the 2022 season is bringing in some of the most beautifully designed cars, from decades. Personally speaking, it’s so exciting seeing a “de-homologation” of all cars, with all teams bringing different projects out. Drivers have been mentioning that cars are heavier and harder to drive. In addition, the unusual level of vibrations noted during the first tests is something new,  connected to weight and aerodynamics.

Major changes in designing the 2022 cars involve a focused work on aerodynamics and downforce, with greater changes in terms of the car’s weight and body design.

Weight

Perhaps weight is one of the biggest struggles teams have been facing in the first test, whereas Ferrari looked doing an excellent job with the car allowing a great weight distribution, bringing much more control on track, and allowing Leclerc and Sainz to exploit the engine in exiting curves, with the car showing great grip and quickness in accelerating off curves.

Waves and Turbulence

The new designs allow greater control of waves and DRS. With the previous cars, many times drivers struggled to maintain close distance in engaging surpassing, due to the elevated turbulence that gave drivers instability.  This forces the drivers to drop the gas pedal and gap away from the duel with the cars in front. The 2022 revolution looks to give an incredible level of stability at close distance, which fans will enjoy as drivers will have a greater chance of maintaining close distances and resulting in more surpasses.

The video posted below shows a bit more details about waves and control. Ferrari worked heavily on designing the car to exploit this new feature, bringing a “curvy” design. Most other teams  have not developed a super curvy car. The curves promises incredible stability, controlled turbulence, and vibration. Indeed, Ferrari looked to have an incredible grip, looking glued and showing to have more aerodynamic control.

Engine

Another great feature appreciated by everyone in the paddock is Ferrari’s new engine. While we looked at the bodywork for major changes there is an incredible showcasing of all teams’ high engineering skills.  With the new de-homologation of all cars, other teams are also using Ferrari’s engine.  Alfa Romeo and Hass are showing greater performances that can be directly connected to the development of the 2022 engine. We can’t wait to see what Ferrari does at the upcoming Bahrain GP.