In this year's first round of pre-season testing, Ferrari is one of the best performing teams, their test mileage is the most of all teams, and the lap speed is also quite good, there are already many racing professional media to list it as a candidate for the new season, and Ferrari internally is also optimistic about the team's prospects in 2022.
With a record 23 races in F1 this season, the dominance of F1 in the past few years is expected to be broken after the new rules are implemented, and Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren seem to be on the same starting line. In the opinion of Ferrari driver Leclerc, the team has a chance to compete for the championship as long as it can win five games in the new season.
Leclerc said: "The situation over the past few years has been complicated and Ferrari has been under tremendous pressure. But as a team we reacted well and prepared for the new rules. Five wins in the new season would be a very good thing. If we can stay in shape, five wins could already make us world champions. ”
Leclerc said Ferrari was hungry for recovery: "The test in Bahrain was very important for the opener. We remain cautious because we don't know our specific position yet, but we are very motivated and we are eager to fight in the leading group, which is a Ferrari tradition. Sainz and I get along very well, but we are equal competitors. Your teammates are the only ones who have the same car as you and I want to beat him, but we have to find the best balance in terms of team interests. ”
Sainz had a good performance after joining Ferrari last season, and he is also full of expectations for F1 under the new rules: "Seriously, the pre-season testing surprised me a little, everyone's car is very different, I believe it will make this year's F1 race more exciting, I like to see these differences. There are so many different styles of racing cars, and everyone's imagination is reflected in their respective cars. And then you'll see that we're going to try to squeeze the speed out of the car and that's the beauty of F1. ”
The second round of F1 pre-season testing will be held in Bahrain this weekend, and the new season of F1 will kick off here in another week. For Ferrari, which has been away from the championship for more than a decade, this year is undoubtedly a good opportunity for them to turn around. If in the first round of pre-season tests, everyone is still a little hidden from their real strength and do not want to expose their unique weapons prematurely, then in the second round of tests in Bahrain, everyone has no need to hide anymore, and the results of this test will roughly outline the general pattern of the new season. (Text/Li Tianyou)