We watch with anticipation now a day earlier as the Bahrain Grand Prix is set to take place on Saturday instead of Sunday due to religious reasons for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next week. Ahead of our first Grand Prix, we are still left with a mixed bag of who can really bring the challenge to Red Bull. With our first Qualifying session a couple hours away, we have been left still guessing how the grid will line up for the first few races.
Ferrari showed promise in Pre-Season testing, but now Mercedes has taken the mantle of worthy challenger to Red Bull after the results of Free Practice 2 yesterday. We may be jumping the gun on Mercedes, as they were accused of sandbagging during testing, but there may be some truth to their car performing well enough to steal some points from Red Bull. The German Constructor grabbed some headlines with their new front wing designs, and if it doesn't get banned, other teams too may take advantage of their innovation.
Even with the "surprise" of Mercedes in practice, we still believe Ferrari could halt Red Bull in their historic run. If anything Mercedes being added to the fight would only help Ferrari in some ways, not to mention also giving us fans a fantastic season to follow.
Here are a few reasons why Ferrari might have a chance at the F1 Championship this year.
Ferrari vs. Red Bull: Reliability
A question of reliability for the RB20 has surfaced during pre-season testing, particularly when Sergio Perez was in the seat. Perez dealt with a power issue and his brakes overheating on day two of testing, which could be something to look into with the RB20 over the course of a full race.
Knowing Red Bull, they most likely ironed out these issues, especially being that Max Verstappen logged a session over 100 laps the day prior. Verstappen fell into some trouble with his shifter in P1 yesterday morning, but it seemed to be minor issues that didn't show forth later in P2. This could be something to revisit later in the season, as Ferrari in 2022 has built a fantastic car but ultimately lost in the Championship race due to reliability issues.
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Ferrari vs. Red Bull: Qualifying Pace
Last season, Ferrari's car design was a mess and it was evident from the initial testing. This year, the Italian brand got it more or less right as the drivers found this car to be much more predictable.
There is no doubt that the driver pair of Monégasque Charles Leclerc and Spanish Carlos Sainz are quick, especially in one lap pace; so in qualifying is where Ferrari can shine. In the 2023 season we even saw Ferrari at times steal pole position from Red Bull, even with how difficult the car was to drive.
Carlos Sainz posting the fastest lap just before the end of free practice 3 is a good sign that Ferrari may be managing tires better this season and could possibly steal pole position later today. As the sole race winner other than Red Bull last year, Ferrari could be set to take the fight to the Austrian team.
Ferrari vs. Red Bull: Improved Race Pace and Strategy
Last year's Ferrari team may have snagged pole at times, but inevitably fell to Red Bull over the course of the race. This was due to the Scuderia's car being so bad on tire degradation. They captured their desired speed in one lap but over time their car put too much strain on tires, causing them to lose pace fast over the course of the race.
Not much is needed to say about Ferrari's infamous strategic decisions. With team principal Frédéric Vasseur going into his second year for them and a new head of strategy, Scuderia Ferrari could be on the rise.
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