Ferrari rose to the top as Carlos Sainz led pre-season testing in Bahrain, seamlessly setting the stage for Lewis Hamilton to join the team. All the teams were geared up on the second day of pre-season testing. Max Verstappen’s teammate Perez represented Red Bull but failed to secure the top position. In third place, Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a successful day in what will be his final pre-season testing with the Silver Arrows.

On the other hand, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari struck an unsecured drain cover, damaging the floor of the car. While Lewis Hamilton was behind Charles Leclerc, something shot up in the air from the back of Hamilton’s car as he mounted the entry kerb to turn left. Ferrari again suffered the same fate as their Las Vegas debacle. However, Sainz managed to set the fastest lap with Ferrari seemingly resolving their Achilles heel, and hence the prospects look bright for Lewis Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz leads Ferrari to the top with Scuderia’s troubles tamed

In the 2023 world championship race, Ferrari finished in 3rd position, 454 points behind Red Bull. Ferrari suffered from tire degradation for the majority of last season, which deprived them of race pace. The fact was that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both earned multiple pole positions, proving that the SF23 was not a sluggish car. Instead, it was on track with Red Bull regarding single-lap speed. Yet, they lacked sustained performance throughout the race with minimal tire degradation.

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The same thing repeated on the second day of pre-season testing 2024, held in Bahrain. It was a miserable day for Ferrari initially as Charles Leclerc was driving the car on a loose drain cover, damaging his floor. Fortunately, Ferrari seems to have addressed their race pace issue and finally removed their Achilles’ heel.

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In the 2023 championship, SF24’s pace was 96.87s, while RB19’s was 97.46s. However, Ferrari surged ahead during the 2024 pre-season testing with an outstanding speed of 1m29s, surpassing their past performance by 0.59s. Eventually, Carlos Sainz steered Ferrari to the top. He gave an exceptional performance with the red-marked C4 tire, making history on F1 as the first driver to break into the 1m29s.

Max Verstappen, the current Red Bull champion, could not drive on the second day as Sergio Perez required more laps, so his afternoon appearance was canceled. However, Carlos Sainz stated that his first drive “went smoothly,” he noted that Ferrari would get a glimpse of its current state in the ongoing testing phase in Bahrain.

Carlos Sainz’s performance could be the perfect foil for his replacement Lewis Hamilton

When speaking to media, including Motor Sport Week, at Ferrari’s 2024 car launch, he expressed, “I think it’s easy, no, to be confident and positive at this time of the year. No-one has seen each other’s cars on-track, no-one has seen lap times, and I always like being positive and encouraged going into a new season.”

Thus, Ferrari’s outstanding performance has set the stage perfectly for Lewis Hamilton’s smooth transition to Ferrari in 2025 and perhaps even challenge for the championship. Despite setbacks, Ferrari thrived in the 2024 Bahrain pre-season testing. The Maranello-based outfit looks to have a fast car on its hands for this season and the future looks bright for the Prancing Horses if they can continue on the same trajectory.

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What are your expectations for the 2024 championship? Which team do you feel has the potential to win? Let us know in the comments section.