After three lacklustre race weekends, a lot was on the line for Ferrari. Coming into Bahrain, the team was a long way off its immediate rivals. In order to keep their foot in the 2025 championship fight, they needed to return to the front and fight for podiums, not points.
The qualifying belonged almost entirely to the McLarens. For the most part, the other drivers were convinced that they were fighting for a spot on the second row. Out of the two Ferraris, the car of Charles Leclerc seemed to be the quicker one, constantly finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Still, both drivers made it into Q2 and then Q3 without much issue.
The situation became more interesting in the last minutes of qualifying. While Oscar Piastri delivered quick lap after quick lap, Lando Norris couldn’t match his pace. Despite many expecting a McLaren 1-2, Norris’ poor performance was only good enough for the third row. This left the door wide open for the other drivers to try and secure a spot next to Piastri.
Leclerc pushed his car to the limit and managed to put together a lap good enough for P3. He was beaten only by George Russell. Thankfully for him, after the race, both Mercedes drivers were handed a one-place grid penalty. They were punished for going into the fast lane of the pitlane before the confirmation of the session’s restart time. Due to their unexpected drop, Leclerc moved to the front row. Hamilton’s best attempt was half a second slower than that of his teammate and put him in P9.
Both Ferraris started the Bahrain Grand Prix on medium tires, opting to try a different strategy than most of their immediate rivals. After his lackluster qualifying performance, Hamilton had quite a few spots to make up if he wanted to finish the day with a satisfying result.
He made his way up the field, aided by the cars in front of him pitting earlier, due to beginning the race on the softest available compound. For a few laps, he even found himself right behind the temporary race leader, Leclerc. Since the two were only so high due to extending their first stint, they lost the positions after a double pit stop on lap 18. With the advantage of fresh rubber, Hamilton began hunting down the drivers in front of him. He was quick to find a way past both Kimi Antonelli and Esteban Ocon, becoming the 6th driver on the track.
On lap 32, a full safety car was called onto the track to allow the marshalls to clear the debris caused by a collision between Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda. Like virtually all drivers, Hamilton used the opportunity to pit for the second time and bolt on a new set of hard tires. Then, he played a great part in the restart of the race. At that point, Leclerc was in 3rd and focused on defending the position from Norris in 4th.
With how quick the McLaren was throughout the weekend, an overtake seemed inevitable. Then, Hamilton capitalized on how focused Norris was on Leclerc and overtook him soon after racing was resumed. Norris was quick to take the position back but he did so off track. He was advised to let Hamilton through to avoid a penalty. He did find a way past the Ferrari only a lap later. The remaining laps of the race passed rather peacefully for the 7-time World Champion and he finished 5th.
Leclerc’s mediums didn’t hold up against the softs of his opponents as the race began. He was quickly overtaken by both George Russell and Norris. He didn’t manage any overtakes in the first laps of the race. Just like Hamilton, he moved to the front of the field as other drivers drove to the pits. Ferrari’s unconventional strategy led to him leading a race for the first time this season. He dropped from the front after being called for a change of tires.
With fresh mediums, he set his sights on the position Norris had taken from him. He spent a while attacking the McLaren and managed to find a way past him on lap 25. This put him in a podium position. A few laps later, the safety car was brought out, forcing a second change of tires and bunching up the field. It was after that car was called in that Hamilton’s smart racing took the pressure off of Leclerc. As Norris focused on fighting the other Ferrari, Leclerc could put some distance between himself and the McLaren.
After moving past Hamilton, Norris went back to attacking Leclerc, the only driver separating him from a podium position. The two fought for the bigger part of the second half of the race. The Ferrari driver provided the viewers with many incredible defensive moves. Despite his efforts, Norris found a way past on lap 52.
Leclerc spent the rest of the evening in P4, trying to keep within 5 seconds of Russell in 2nd. The Mercedes driver was set to be investigated for a DRS breach after the race. Had a penalty been handed to him, Leclerc would move up and claim his first podium of the season. Unfortunately for all Tifosi, no action was taken against the driver.
The weekend in Bahrain was much better than Ferrari’s other performances, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. In general, the team struggles to keep up with their immediate rivals. They are currently 4th in the standings with 57 points to their name. The top three, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull have 151, 93, and 71 respectively. If Ferrari wants to have a shot at winning either championship, changes need to be made soon.
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