From new Ferrari suspension to Lewis Hamilton’s first lap times: Fred Vasseur’s admission. Fred Vasseur remains cautious after Ferrari's performance in F1 testing.

Ferrari leaves Bahrain with some doubts and a desire to keep focusing on the future. Fred Vasseur, in fact, is confident in the work done, though it is too early to make predictions. Certainly, the unexpected weather conditions in Bahrain made the work more difficult than usual, but for Ferrari, the feeling is that they did not shine.

McLaren seems to be starting from where it left off last season—ahead of everyone else. At least in race pace, the Woking team already appears to be one step ahead of the rest, with Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull very close to each other.

Of course, as Fred Vasseur also pointed out, time will clarify the current uncertainties. “This is too early a stage to say whether we will be fighting for victory already in Melbourne. Here in Bahrain, the conditions were very particular and extreme, making it difficult to get a clear picture of the situation. Then again, just consider the fact that conditions changed significantly from session to session.”

Ferrari, between the new suspension and Lewis Hamilton’s first times
The individual teams also worked in very different ways and at different times during each session. “We don’t know the fuel levels used by the other teams, which makes it very complicated to interpret what we have seen,” added Ferrari’s team principal.

Could the decision to change the suspension be a problem? “Changing the suspension opens a new door for us in terms of potential developments. Until now, we had a different type of suspension, but it seems that this new choice could work well. Or at least, the numbers tell us it is good—then the results will speak for themselves. We must not lose focus on ourselves.”- the French manager pointed out.

As for Hamilton, the Maranello team principal expressed great satisfaction. “I think he did a good job, but we don’t know how the others worked, so it’s difficult to understand. If we look at last year, Verstappen was a second faster than everyone, yet we all know how last season ended. I trust my team—the feeling remains good,” the French engineer concluded.