With a fourth and fifth place for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain, Ferrari was able to score good points. The Italian team is still lacking the connection with the other top teams, especially McLaren, but saw progress during the weekend in the desert. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur hopes to continue this upward trend in Saudi Arabia. However, the Frenchman warns that Lewis Hamilton also needs to make progress.
“In Sakhir, we made small steps forward in terms of competitiveness, thanks to a better performance of the car and solid performances from the team in both qualifying and the race,” Vasseur explains in the Ferrari preview. However, the Scuderia has also been busy in the days since the Bahrain race. “During the few days in Maranello, we continued to work hard on analyzing the data.”
Although Ferrari is slowly but surely making progress, according to the team boss, the Scuderia’s goal remains the same for now. “We must continue to focus on ourselves, as that is the best way to get the most out of the available package. And to make steady progress at the same time and close the gap that still separates us from the leaders in the standings.”
A Gentle Warning to Hamilton?
Lewis Hamilton also has work to do in the upcoming races. The Briton has already had to watch Charles Leclerc qualify better than him three times. So far, Hamilton has only finished higher than the Monegasque during the sprint race in China. After the disappointing qualification in Bahrain, Vasseur encouraged the seven-time world champion with a ‘nudge in the right direction’. “We will improve the car for Lewis, but he also needs to make progress himself,” the Frenchman concludes.
