FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2022 - Sakhir - Qualifying..▄▀▄▀▄▀ SPOILERS▄▀▄▀▄▀

So MB .7 down on single lap quali - Toto said .5 if they could get another run to get tires in the window. That will likely be a 1+ second gap in race trim. Only way they get above, or even stay in 5th with Lewis, is if reliability or crashes kills the cars around them. For once they aren't dictating the outcome. Should be an interesting first race of the season - and the best chance in a long while for Ferrari to take a win. But with Max in the mix, it can, and will be a lottery.

 

It's been like 15 years...lets go!

That donkey in the back is more like Secretariat , or Red Rum for the Brits.

 

Don’t think so.
I tend to believe they will fix their problems as usual, but it could be very well a more structural problem for them.

 

Lovely to watch Merc flounder and Ham do what he does best, blubber about how the car was so difficult to drive that he’s really pleased about his exceptional effort - oh, and he’ll be doing all he can to keep his position in the race. Precious.
Typical and of course a direct contradiction to Kevin’s straight and direct interview.

Probably Mick was cosseted and pushed ahead of his talent level but it doesn’t look good for him due to the gap in times. I don’t see Mags as a coach but who knows. He’s Jan’s son so he knows the playbook for second gen F1 drivers, he might be more of an open book than I expect to help Mick out.

George went the wrong way in Q3, said as much in the interview, but he’ll be more than a match for old ‘Woe is me’ throughout the year. No question.

Hope the season remains as interesting as Bahrain’s quali session. This is brilliant stuff.

 

Interesting point and angle-

FWIW I was a Max fan even before the battle with Lewis and if we are all honest and look back past the Godlike anointing of Michael and Ayrton (deserved obviously) they both had many of Max's tendencies and driving style.

Will see what happens but I'm willing to bet that if/when Max aggresively passes either Charles or Carlos and defends his position neither of them will be whining on the radio saying he is "Driving Dangerously" like Hambone did every time someone had the audacity to pass him or not just shut their cars down and let him pass them.

 

All their broadcasts have been all about “what will it take for Lewis to get to the front”, “what’s the best strategy for Lewis”, “how does competitor x’s pace compare to Lewis”…

 

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They'll just have to lower their standards.

Crofty: "Carlos Sainz wins his first race. AND LEWIS HAMIL-TOOOON COMES HOME IN 12TH PLACE AND SETS THE 8TH FASTEST TIME OF THE DAY!!"

 

Looks like they do not understand their aero and potentially have a draggy car to boot or they really do not have a great engine

 

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Caution gentlemen....

The Ferrari was good(winning) early during the Vettel years as well. Let's hope this team can avoid the late season clown shoes in development/strategy/driving

 

IMO Ugliest F1 car ever

 

Really happy with the result. Ferrari did a really good job with the PU and the car. All those painful years from 2014(yes we had intermittent success but then Vettel didn't hold up) seems to be a thing of the past. Every dark cloud has a silver lining, I should say. Binnoto's head should be safe for now and he has delivered on the expectations.

Now our aim should be to keep our heads down and remain focussed on achieving results than the distractions. No more screw ups with the strategy and pit stops.

 

Fair point, but that was awhile ago. Still good to have both feet on the ground, however.

 

I am a delighted with the results today
Not just for Ferrari but with the customer cars too.
I don’t wanna get too excited. Last time Ferrari was looking strong Red Bull and MB contested the performance and FIA said something wasn’t right
We still never got clarity on that ruling either

 

Well said and agree about Mick. He seems a nice kid and better than the Mazepins of the world but is not his father, though with dedication and more experience he’ll be a good driver.

About Russell, even if I disagreed that he’d outqualify HAM, he’s pretty close and will probably outqualify HAM more often than Bottas did. And his interviews are so much more palatable than HAM’s or Toto’s. Not that I know what the latter said today because I just FFWD his interviews, LOL.

 

I'm a Verstappen fan, but also a Perez fan, so I too wouldn't mind seeing Checo, LeClerc, Sainz, Norris, Ricciardo, or Gasly win their first Championship.
I'll also take multiple winners a la 2012 season.

 

Our problems back in those days were our engine department. Mercedes would sandbag us through the early part of the season for reliability, then go all out after the summer break, after which we never stood a chance.

This year the team are starting from a good baseline in both the aero and engine departments, and will not lay down on the job. If anything, it's Ferrari that still have cards they're holding up their sleeves.

 

Sergio 4th:

HAM vs RUS:

Haas vs AM:

 

"No, no, no Niels this is soooooo not right! Ferrari is faster than us so they must be cheating "'............

 

Sad but probably true- At least Hulk is back on the track and can show his capabilities- could get plucked out from under the Daddy camp like Perez was- Meanwhile, Pretty Eyebrow Boy will dawdle around spending Daddys money- I'm sure Hulk is pleased to be out there regardless of the circumstances-

 

We can already detect the beginnings of Sky’s developing narrative for Ferrari’s performance: they’ve been working on this car for 2 years. Like the others have not, especially pre-budget cap.

 

I do expect Merc and RB to improve across the season.
Whether Ferrari can keep up is yet to be seen.

But at least the engine isn't killing them, so far.

While the Ferrari pit wall does tend to have the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,
I suspect a lot of the trouble during the Vettel years was Vet choking.

 

In his interview Toto conceded they have a lot of drag and it manifests itself on the straights. He then used that as a platform to say he didn't know if they had a power deficit. I don't doubt for 1 second that they will develop the car and be strong contenders - the question is how quickly. We've seen them out-develop the competition year-over-year and doubt that will change. Nonetheless, they will remain the Fchat pinata - regardless of whether they are leading the pack or dragging behind (no pun intended). Let's hope Ferrari success changes this forum back to the way it used to be - with a stronger focus on Ferrari doing well, and less angst.
Carlos for the win!!!! With Charles a close second - with the positions reversed next race. Hulk for third!