Color change in the front rows of the grid in Formula 1. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari is in pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix – ahead of defending champion Max Verstappen. Under the floodlights in the rocky desert, the red and the blue car were ultimately separated by a tiny 0.13 seconds. “Yeah, baby,” the fastest of the day yelled into his helmet microphone, “I knew we had that in us.”
The color scheme is also adhered to behind, teammates Carlos Sainz jr. and Sergio Perez sorted themselves in. Only then does Lewis Hamilton’s silver arrow come, rather pale in view of the 0.7 seconds behind the leader. Mick Schumacher, in twelfth place, just missed the top ten after a small driving error, Vettel replacement Nico Hülkenberg finished 17th in the Aston Martin. The start of the season on Sunday promises to be colourful.
In any case, the new technical rules kept what the Formula 1 management expected of them in the first endurance test, as evidenced by the new order – and not just at the top. In addition to Ferrari, two previous backbench racing teams underline the new mix. Valtteri Bottas put the Alfa Romeo in sixth place at the first appearance with the Swiss team, Kevin Magnussen pushed the Ferrari customer car into eighth place on his return to the Haas racing team. Matching the successful first part of the season opener, there was a big drum roll in the paddock.
Verstappen has seen the true strength of his new opponent for the first time
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, whose Silver Arrows are most affected by the unpleasant phenomenon of pumping movements (the car touches down and jumps up again) caused by the new aerodynamics, ticked Saturday off under the motto “Youth research”. Hamilton was even satisfied with fifth place given these problems: “Everyone can see that we didn’t bluff. We’re just making small steps forward.”
But even the old rival Red Bull suspects that the eight-time constructors’ world champion from the hybrid era will quickly be ahead again if the problem with the bouncing can be solved. That’s how long Hamilton has to swing along with his desire for revenge. The empire falters. But the others also know that success in the race and this season in general will depend to a large extent on how stable the car is.
Back after two lost years: The Scuderia celebrated its last victory in September 2019. Can Charles Leclerc win again with Ferrari?
(Photo: Hasan Bratic/dpa)
Favorit Verstappen’s disappointment at losing the long-awaited pole position was written all over his face at the very end, because he has now seen the true strength of his new opponent for the first time. Ferrari is back after two lost years, the Scuderia’s last win dates back to the Vettel era and September 2019. Team boss Mattia Binotto ticked off the past season early on and focused all further development on this season, especially with engine power.
For now, the risk was worth it. The dull red car currently has the best balance, Leclerc can even flirt with not having done a completely clean lap. The Monegasque described the problem that affects all 20 drivers in the field: “We tried a lot of different lines with these cars. Now it’s about finding the right driving style at the right moment.” Binotto summed up the desert evening in one word: “Fantastico!”
For many in Formula 1, the new pecking order comes as a culture shock
It’s not just the weight, the 1000 hp cars weigh almost 800 kilograms, which bothers everyone. Above all, the question of how low the vehicle is lowered makes the decisive difference – ideally there is only a touch between the asphalt and the carbon plate. If you vote too low, you will touch down and the dreaded hobbling will begin. Anyone who sets the chassis higher is safer, but also slower.
What will cause the engineers headaches for nights to come fulfills the hopes of the public, who, however, could not complain about a lack of drama even in the last year of the old regulations. For many in Formula 1, the new pecking order comes as a culture shock, even if it is still to be taken with caution after Sakhir’s debut appearance and idiosyncratic track conditions. The form on the day will also have an even greater influence in the future, as with Mick Schumacher, who was about to finish in the top ten for the first time and achieved his best qualifying result on his own: “I have the feeling that something wasn’t right today totally fit.” New team-mate Magnussen has shown what’s possible, becoming a real benchmark for the 22-year-old’s ambitions.
What is possible in the new Haas? Mick Schumacher narrowly missed his first start in the top ten.
(Photo: Hasan Bratic/dpa)
The ups and downs of the cars are completely transferred to the feelings. Seven out of ten racing teams brought at least one car into the last qualifying section, the biggest loser is probably the McLaren racing team led by Andreas Seidl from Passau. The second German team boss, Jost Capito, had calculated more for Williams.
In the absence of regular driver Sebastian Vettel, who is in Swiss corona isolation, Nico Hülkenberg, who spontaneously stepped in, delivered a highly respectable performance after 17 months without any preparation. But Aston Martin is again lagging behind everyone, especially owner Lawrence Stroll’s expectations. For his son Lance it was over right after the first qualifying session. The new team boss Mike Krack, who had just moved from BMW to England, was forced to say the first perseverance: “We are motorsport enthusiasts and we will work as hard and as quickly as possible to improve the situation.” After all, at least that still sounded like old Formula 1.