F1 News: Ferrari Drivers Shocked By Mercedes Resurgence - "Look Strong"
Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were surprised to see Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish on top of the FP2 chart in Bahrain, expressing their surprise that the Brackley outfit would be a strong contender for the fight at the top.
Key Takeaways:
- Ferrari drivers Sainz and Leclerc expressed surprise at Mercedes' strong performance in FP2, with Hamilton and Russell securing an unexpected one-two.
- The result challenges the perception of Ferrari as Red Bull's immediate rival this season, as last year's dominant driver, Verstappen, finished sixth.
- Despite the surprise, Sainz and Leclerc remain confident in Ferrari's competitiveness, expecting to be in the mix at the front during the upcoming races.
Hamilton and Russell secured an unexpected one-two for Mercedes in Thursday's Free Practice 2, while last year's dominant Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen, concluded the session in sixth place.
Ferrari was thought to be Red Bull's immediate rival this year, but judging by the pace of the W15 yesterday, Mercedes could be a part of the fight for the lead this year.
Speaking on what could be seen as Mercedes's surprising resurgence, Sainz told Formula1.com:
“It just shows you can never look into testing, because people tend to not show all their cards, and it’s clear Mercedes are going to be in the fight.
“Red Bull in the long run were a lot quicker than in the short run, so I expect them to be also stronger tomorrow and Sunday.”
Agreeing with this teammate, Leclerc added:
“Mercedes look strong, which is a bit of a surprise.
“But we don’t know which fuel [level] they were running, so I think we’ll have all our answers tomorrow.
“At least on our side… no bad surprises.
“No good surprises either, just exactly as we expected the car to be. So we went through our programme. In FP2, it was a bit more… I mean, I did a small mistake on my fast lap, and it’s a one-lap tyre, so then that was it. But apart from that, it’s all about tomorrow now, trying to focus to do a step forward.”
Sounding confident about Ferrari being a part of the fight at the front, he added:
“I would be surprised if that is not the case, for sure.
“I expect to be there with the others; the only question mark is obviously Red Bull, how far ahead they are in front. But with the others, I would be surprised if we are not in the mix, yes.
“I feel quite good with the car.
"And it’s a much better start compared to last year, where last year we arrived at the first race and it was very difficult to know what exactly was the right window where we could optimise our car.
“Today it’s not the case, we know we’re in the right window for performing at our best with this specific car, and now it’s all about tomorrow, to try and anticipate the conditions of tomorrow and make the best out of this weekend.”