FORMULA 1

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KUBICA: I CAN DRIVE IT BUT I AM A PASSENGER

Robert Kubica’s return to Formula 1 has been marred by the woes at Williams, after delivering a lemon of a car, the former technical director Paddy Lowe took an absence of leave when they realised just how bad his second creation for the team was, thus leaving them in the lurch.

Of course suffering most of all are the drivers who have to grin and bear it, a tough ask when listening to Kubica explain the severe limitations FW42 and the working for the team during this time of crisis.

After all, toiling hard on the night in Bahrain to finish two laps behind the race winner was not what he or his legion of fans had scripted for his comeback to the top flight.

Kubica told F1i after the race, “In Australia by running over one kerb where everyone took it, I lost bits of the car which then we didn’t have them. In Bahrain, I stayed away of the kerbs, but in quali I used them and another bit flew away.”

“And then in the race actually I realised I’m not using [the kerbs], or using them only because I was brought them, but I don’t use them as part of the track. And if you start tightening more corners you put more load on the tyres, it’s a complicated situation.”

In Poland, the penny has dropped as they realise having Kubica back is a marvelous tale but, with Williams, it’s turning into a horror story.

Writing for ZET, Maciej Walasek reported: “A team like Williams was not capable of having a new floor for Kubica for the second race. In Bahrain, he had to drive with the same [damaged] element as in Australia.”

“Claire can smooth talk with the positives they all want to hear, but she should finally admit that the Grove stable has completely collapsed when it comes to spare parts. Until when will the drivers have to wait for spares? When will they be able to focus on driving instead of being careful for parts not to fly off?” asked Walasek in his column.

Of course, Williams will be burning the midnight oil on all fronts to resolve the fundamental flaws with the chassis, but the problem seems to be that there is no solution in sight.

The appointment of 72-year-old Patrick Head to steady the ship may appear a shrewd marketing move but turning things around will be another story altogether, especially if resources are limited at the team. But the truth is for the team to be in such a state of mismanagement and unreadiness for the new season smacks of gross mismanagement and negligent leadership.

How did they not see this coming? The car was not delayed by a week as we thought back in February, it’s at least two months and counting behind schedule. The next question is: will it ever be ready?

Kubica, whose backers PKN Orlen have forked out $15-million to get him on the grid, can only hope that things don’t get worse, “There will be a point hopefully one day where all these limitations, or at least I can forget about it, and the car will be more solid and we’ll stay more together and it will become more fun as well.”

“Until now it’s like I have to make sure I turn into the corner and not spin. And then this is my driving. Everything focused on this. It’s difficult to say it’s fun, it’s at least experience, and those two races gave me good answers and valuable experience definitely.”

“There were some positives in Australia, there were some positives in Bahrain. But as I said we need to find out what’s going on as I have no margin and no window where the car is, I can drive it, [but] I am a passenger,” lamented the 34-year-old Pole.

Maybe in future races, the winners will be hard to predict but it is almost a sure bet that former thoroughbreds, Williams will be last of the runners for the foreseeable future. Not fair on their drivers, Kubica in particular.

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2019 F1 GLOBAL FESTIVAL CAMPAIGN BEGINS IN SHANGHAI

Formula 1 have confirmed that Shanghai will host the first F1 Festival of the season in the build-up to the Chinese Grand Prix next week.

Following its huge success last season, Formula 1 today announces its global plans to host four F1 Festivals, bringing the excitement of F1 to Shanghai, Chicago, Los Angeles and Brazil.

F1 Festival is a free event, which allows fans to immerse themselves in the world of F1, bringing the Grand Prix atmosphere to the heart of the city. This year will see F1 kick-start its festival campaign in China, to celebrate the 1000th Grand Prix.

The Heineken F1 Festival will open to the public on Friday 12th April, at Xintiandi Park with an array of music acts and exciting entertainment, followed by the F1 Live car and Renault F1 Team runs on 13th April – when Renault F1 Team Development Driver and FIA Formula 2 rising star Guanyu Zhou will drive a Renault-powered E20 car and the renowned stunt driver Jessica Hawkins will be at the wheel of a Sauber C30 – enabling fans to experience the roar of the engines, the smell of the rubber and witness the electric atmosphere, as the cars tear past.

Across the two days fans will also be able to experience the excitement of the race in China as qualifying will be streamed, live at the festival along with a number of other thrilling partner activations and activities.

In addition to bringing all the excitement that F1 has to offer to the streets of Shanghai, fans will also see a number of celebrity appearances and music performances by top-notch local and international artists.

Further information and key dates for Chicago, LA and Brazil will be released in due course.

Sean Bratches, Managing Director – Commercial Operations said: “Following the huge success last season, we are thrilled to announce all four F1 Festivals for 2019. We are committed to enhancing fan experience of F1 and continue to explore new ways of exposing fans to the sport.”

“We believe it’s vital to take F1 into the cities so that fans can immerse themselves in the race day atmosphere. By announcing three new festival locations we hope fans around the world are excited to see what F1 Festivals have to offer and we are thrilled to be returning to China for the F1 Heineken Shanghai Festival to celebrate our 1000th Grand Prix”.

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INSIDE LINE: SHOUT OUT TO ZAK BROWN AND MCLAREN

In our kitchen there is a largish bowl with fresh fruit – bananas, mandarins, oranges, kiwis and apples – which we keep stocked for whenever a family member needs a snack.

The other day there was shiny apple at the bottom of the bowl, so I reached for it and when I grabbed it, my fingers pushed through the fragile skin and sunk into the mush – it was rotten to the core. [True story happened on Monday!]

I guess that’s what Zak Brown found when he took the job to lead McLaren. There was this legendary team headquartered at the shiny sci-fi MTC but what he found was a ‘mushy’ organisation – a shadow of the potent force they once were.

Whether you are a fan or not, the fate of the Woking outfit over the past several years hurts because the top flight needs this team to be strong again. As the second most successful team in the sport’s history it is far more than a racing team – its an F1 institution.

Thus the person ordained to lead McLaren is inevitably thrust into the heat of the laser-like media spotlight and subject to the whims of modern-day keyboard warriors, who have had a field day for far too long at the expense of the team.

Brown has not been spared. Indeed, I have often questioned his suitability for the role and even doubted that he is the man to lead at Woking. But, hat in hand, there is a time to acknowledge when one might be wrong.

Expectations were low ahead of this season after a woeful 2018, which kick-started the new, post-Honda, Renault customer era but did not deliver on naive preseason expectations.

Granted, during the course of last year Brown swooped on and bagged James Key, but the former Toro Rosso technical chief was only able to join the team in Bahrain, so his effect on the current project is probably nil.

Thus with what he had after a gruesome campaign, Brown ignored the doubters, galvanised his troops and by putting Pat Fry in charge of the technical department the team have produced a very handy piece of kit in the MCL34.

The improvements have been massive according to Alonso who tested this year’s car in Bahrain on Tuesday, after which he declared, “The car is a step forward in every aspect from last year.”

“It has more grip, it’s less draggy on the straights, the engine is a step better, so overall as a package the car is going in the right direction and we’re closer to the front.”

Thus, rookie Lando Norris and newcomer Carlos Sainz have a decent race car at their disposal.

Good enough for their younger driver to qualify eighth in Melbourne and then claim a fine sixth place in Bahrain on Sunday.

The kid is good and Brown took the gamble to thrust the teenager into the spotlight of the top flight. A well-considered risk, but a risk nevertheless, which appears to be paying off. More kudos for the boss.

On the other side of the garage, Sainz’s first two races with the team have been disappointing, most of all, for the driver.

In Melbourne, during the race, after a below-par quali he was feisty in the race, as he made up positions in a car that was clearly capable of scything its way up to the sharp end of the midfield until the power unit went up in a puff.

Two weeks later in Bahrain, Sainz qualified seventh but a hectic first lap resulted in damage to the car which compromised his race. He finished last of the runners, four laps behind the leader.

Notably, the Spaniard’s problems were not because of a car that lacks performance, as was the case with Alonso and hapless Stoffel Vandoorne throughout last season.

Consider this: during last year’s Bahrain qualifying Alonso was 2.256 seconds slower than the pole position time, eigth months later in Abu Dhabi their veteran Spaniard was three seconds shy of pole and 1.1 seconds down on the best Renault powered car. It had been a serious downward spiral.

Fast forward to last Saturday’s Bahrain qualifying session where Sainz’s best effort was 0.947 of a second down on the top time and half a second faster than the best Renault.

Whatever way you look at it, there has been big progress.

Granted barring force majeure or a miracle they won’t be winning F1 races anytime soon which, of course, is what they are targeting but a podium (when the stars align) would not be hard to imagine in their current state.

Furthermore, and also cause for optimism, what we have now is not McLaren fully loaded because stepping into the ring are the heavy-hitters they have signed, namely highly-rated Key and newly appointed managing director, former Porsche WEC chief, Andreas Seidl.

Both were in Bahrain but can hardly claim credit for this year’s car, to this point. For that Fry should take a bow because the MCL34 a useful platform to progress from, but it will be next year’s MCL35 which will reveal how potent McLaren will be in the future with their new players.

Whether this is the first year of Brown’s five year plan, or the third, is not quite clear to me but, whatever the case, something has sparked internally and the positive results can be seen on the track.

For that, the American marketing and media guru turned team chief, and everyone at McLaren should be applauded for the breakthrough and encouraged to keep up the good work.

When times are tough bosses tend to cop the cruel criticism, and Brown was spared little last year but with where they are right now he deserves to be singled out and given due credit, maybe his way is the right way after all…

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Red Bull 'cannot be worse' than they were in Bahrain says Max Verstappen

Red Bull's Max Verstappen says the team's performance "cannot be worse" than they were in Bahrain as they look ahead to the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Dutch driver kicked off his 2019 season with a podium finish at the season-opener in Australia and followed that up with fourth in Bahrain, but struggled in qualifying with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen just one-hundredth shy of Verstappen's Q3 time.

Verstappen reckons the team made some setup mistakes and is therefore hopeful of a better performance at F1's 1,000th race in China next weekend.

"It cannot be worse than what we showed here," he replied when asked for his thoughts ahead of the next race. 

"We made some mistakes in terms of setup so I think if you look back to Australia we were quite happy, we were still 20 seconds off to Valtteri, but in that race I couldn’t go and push like I wanted to because I was always held up by other cars.

"I think we can do a lot better than what we have showed so far."

Bahrain is currently hosting a two-day in-season test which Verstappen reckons has come at a good time for Red Bull, to help it understand its car better and hone its setup.

Verstappen ended the session fastest on Tuesday and completed 62 laps, with rookie Daniel Ticktum taking over on Wednesday.

"We did a good amount of laps to understand what went wrong on the weekend," he added. "I think we learned a lot from it already, so in that way, I think it's very positive.

"We don't have that many days anyway to understand the car. During the weekend it all goes that quick [so] doing a day like this is very helpful."

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Christian Horner: Pierre Gasly should take confidence from Bahrain

Red Bull Formula 1 Team Principal Christian Horner has given his backing to Pierre Gasly, stressing that the Frenchman should take confidence from his Bahrain Grand Prix performance. 

Gasly has endured a low-key start to his Red Bull career, having taken only eighth in Bahrain off the back of failing to make it through to Q3.

It came after he was unable to score points in Australia, classifying 11th in the wake of suffering an early elimination in qualifying, part of which was down to a team miscommunication.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, classified fourth in Bahrain, having started the year on the podium in Australia.

The Frenchman expressed frustration in Bahrain over his inability to drive Red Bull’s RB15 as he wishes, but Horner defended the 23-year-old’s start to the season.

“I think it was important for Pierre to have a strong race [in Bahrain], he did that,” said Horner.

“I thought some of his overtakes, particularly on [Sergio] Perez, which I don’t think went on the main screen, was very impressive.

“His pace in clear air, particularly in the second half of the race, was strong so I think he would’ve taken a lot of confidence out of that. I think once he starts qualifying further up the grid then life will get a lot easier for him. 

“I think it will have been a good boost of confidence for him. He’s raced competitively, raced hard, he’s had to overtake quite a few cars and you know, being competitive particularly in the second half of the race.

“I think he can take a lot out of this weekend and you know carry that into future races.”

Horner believes the narrow operating window in which Red Bull’s RB15 is currently operating is restricting Gasly’s prospects compared to more experienced team-mate Verstappen.

“I think the car - it’s a tricky car at the moment,” commented Horner.

“Our operating window looks quite narrow.

“I think Max has coped with that extremely well and I think obviously it’s been harder for Pierre. But that will come I’m sure.”

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Mattia Binotto plays down Sebastian Vettel’s Bahrain mistake

Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has defended Sebastian Vettel in the wake of his driver’s costly mistake during Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vettel, having relinquished the lead to Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc early on, became embroiled in a scrap for second position against perennial title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton went around the outside of Vettel through Turn 4 and as he completed the move the Ferrari driver spun.

Vettel’s tyres sustained substantial damage and the resultant vibrations led to his front wing breaking loose as he made his way along the back straight.

Vettel ultimately classified fifth on a weekend in which Ferrari held the fastest package.

“It was a mistake and I don’t think we should discuss about mistakes,” said Binotto.

“We are always in the battle and in the fight, that is what we are doing and it is never easy.

“I think at the end it is something that can always happen.

“I think we need to encourage our drivers because it is only by driving to the limit that they achieve the best result and that is what Seb was trying to do.

“There is some homework on the balance to improve, we are still learning about our car.

“So I think all good in that respect and we will keep focus on that and hope to improve.”

Vettel’s recent costly spins

Vettel’s spin marked his fourth in the 10 races that have taken place since he last stood atop the podium at the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix.

On each occasion, Vettel has been on the inside while in close proximity of a rival.

The first spin came at the Italian Grand Prix while battling against Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap, with the Ferrari driver’s car unsettled by the inside kerb at the second chicane.

The next came a few races later in Japan when an opportunistic move on Max Verstappen at Spoon Curve left him facing the wrong way.

Just one race later he spun through the stadium section in the United States while dicing with Daniel Ricciardo. 

And, of course, in Bahrain, he spun exiting Turn 4 just moments after being overhauled by Hamilton.

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Schumacher wants to reach F1 as a "complete driver"

Mick Schumacher wants to step up to Formula 1 as a "complete racing driver" but does not know if that means he could make his debut as early as 2020.
The reigning European Formula 3 champion and son of seven-time F1 title winner Michael Schumacher made his F1 test debut in Bahrain on Tuesday, driving for Ferrari.

He continued to gain F1 experience on Wednesday, as he has switched from his father's most famed team to Alfa Romeo for the second and final day of the test.

Schumacher, who made his Formula 2 race debut in Bahrain last weekend, said he is not in a hurry to get into F1 next year.

"Obviously it's my first year in F2, we'll see how it goes," he said. "I want to arrive into F1 being a complete racing driver, being as prepared as possible.

"I think time will tell if that's next year, if that's the years to follow, really. So, I'm taking it one step at a time."

Schumacher he approached the test to enjoy it and "did that 110%", especially the quicker runs at the end of the day.

He admitted he found it "really hard to kind of find the limit" under the braking so understood there were improvements to be made, and hoped to use the F1 experience to aid his F2 season.

"The [braking] limit is further and further into the corner," Schumacher said. "I was feeling like I could even brake at the 50-metre board at Turn 1, but obviously that's not possible.

"I was trying every run to go later and later, and it always went later. That's why I say there's a margin."

He added: "F1 is so complex, there's so many ways to see and learn about the car.

"To speak with [the Ferrari team] and try to take the information for myself really did help.

"I learned so much that I can use in F2 as well, I'll use every single bit of it."

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Hulkenberg: No point in "hammering" engine department

Nico Hulkenberg says Renault has little to gain by "hammering" its engine department over the double retirement from the Bahrain Grand Prix, as he urges his team to find a quick fix for its reliability troubles.
The German and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo retired within seconds of each other in the closing stages of the Sakhir race with separate power unit issues, having looked on course for a strong double points finish.

With the F1 team's managing director Cyril Abiteboul calling the problems "unacceptable", Hulkenberg thinks that it is important the French car manufacturer rallies around rather than focuses on the blame game.

"It is a hard one to swallow. Not just on me but everyone," said the German. "This is when you realise that F1 is about a team sport.

"The engine guys in Viry and everyone will be very devastated, and down. So for sure, there is no point hammering on them. We need to work as a unit and help each other."

Asked by Motorsport.com if it was easier to sort a good car that was unreliable, or a slow car that finished races, Hulkenberg said: "I don't know which one is easier to fix honestly.

"Obviously we have a history with those problems so we want to get on top of them and we need to do it quickly. But I don't have the answer for that one."

Although disappointed with the late retirement, Hulkenberg says he has taken encouragement from the pace shown in the race – as he looked on course to finish best of the rest behind the top three teams.

"I always felt we were in the mix. We are with the midfield pack," he explained. "Maybe sometimes Haas can be a bit quicker but we are there or thereabouts. It is very close.

"It is probably a bit track specific but I always felt that we were not far away from them, and even from leading the midfield. I think things are still close.

"As you saw McLaren was not far behind and Alfa was there, too, so it is the little things that make a difference.

"We certainly are in a good position but we need to keep developing and keep improving this car to stay there."

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VERSTAPPEN: WE DID SOMETHING WRONG IN BAHRAIN

Max Verstappen was left to rue a below-par performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix where the Adrian Newey penned Red Bull RB15 lacked the spark it had at the season opener two weeks earlier, and as a result, the Dutchman was condemned to fourth place and had run out of ammo when a podium was in sight.

Reflecting after the race at Sakhir, Verstappen told reporters, “I think we made some mistakes in terms of the setup. If you look back to Australia, where we were actually quite happy.”

“Of course it was still 20 seconds to Valtteri, but in that race I couldn’t go and push like I wanted to because basically I was always held up by a car. I think we can do a lot better than what we showed so far.”

It would not be the first time that a Newey led creation suffered teething problems, harking back to a time when the Blues traditionally took time to find the sweet spot early on in their campaigns.

By all accounts, the RB15 is a tricky piece of kit. In the sister car, Pierre Gasly is having a crisis of confidence when he attempts to extract the maximum from the package. It has bitten him on more than one occasion with expensive results.

While Verstappen will drive the wheels of whatever he is given, he admits that the situation is not ideal, “You always want more downforce. It’s also about how you can balance it and clearly, we did something wrong during the weekend.”

On Tuesday in Bahrain, he was back on track for the rain-interrupted test day in which he completed 62 laps, with junior driver Dan Ticktum adding another 135 laps to the total on Wednesday.

Verstappen acknowledged, “We did a good amount of laps to understand what went wrong on the weekend. I think we learned a lot from it already, so in that way I think it’s very positive. We don’t have that many days anyway to understand the car, during the weekend it all goes that quick.”

“Just always doing one and a half hour sessions is not amazing. Doing a day like this is very helpful,” concluded Verstappen who lies third in the drivers’ championship standings ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, round three of the 2019 F1 World Championship.

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ALONSO’S KIMOA DOWN A MILLION EUROS AFTER FIRST YEAR

Fernando Alonso’s clothing brand Kimoa has been a permanent fixture as part of the Spaniard’s public attire for a couple of years but, despite the massive exposure, the company ran at a loss in its first year of sales.

The brand is dedicated to selling t-shirts, caps, sunglasses, swimwear and other leisure garments with a focus on youth and urban culture with the double F1 World Champion fronting the Kimoa image.

The adventure began in 2016, and was setup commercially in 2017. Since then, Alonso has worn the various apparel including personalized caps for each major event in which he races.

Last year the distinctive Kimoa logo featured on the rear wing of the McLarens, while the double Formula 1 World Champion is hardly ever seen without the company cap.

But, according to a report in Cinco Dias, the venture is running at a loss: “In its first full year of activity, and with sales income, Fernando Alonso’s company lost €1.06 million, which also led the company to close last year’s books with a negative net worth of €1.1 million.”

“Quimoalar, the holding company, is a limited company that was registered with a share capital of 3,000 euros.”

“Turnover was €404,000, but notably as a start-up, and also with an international footprint, Alonso’s company incurred high operating costs which amounted to almost €2-million, including personnel costs of €335,000 for the eight employees.”

Alonso is one of the most active F1 drivers on social media which is a string springboard for marketing the new brand, especially Instagram, where Kimoa has more than 40,000 followers.

In addition to Alonso as the main investor, others involved include childhood friend Alberto Fernández Albilares, as sole administrator and, the Spaniard’s most trusted confidante, Luis García-Abad handling the legalese.

Kimoa currently ships its merchandise to 75 countries and, although it is early days for the brand, the fact that it has made 400k in sales is positive for a start-up in the extremely competitive sports merchandise market.

Next year’s figures should be more telling and could see a big improvement as the substantial setup and launch costs won’t impact the final tally as they did this year, while sales are predicted to continue rising.

Through the Alonso connection, the brand will continue to get constant exposure, most recently during the Spaniard’s return to F1 testing this week. He is also racing in the WEC, testing Dakar cars and of course his Indy 500 return in May where the cap is and will be a constant.

Alonso has banked over €400-million during his illustrious career that spanned almost two decades in F1.

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Williams still has to maximise current package – George Russell

George Russell says Williams still has to optimise its current package rather than merely wait for upgrades to its FW42 to arrive.

Williams has struggled for performance in Formula 1 this season and has remained rooted to the back of the field with its recalcitrant and ill-handling FW42.

Russell and team-mate Robert Kubica have qualified over a second off the pace at both Grands Prix and finished as the final classified runners in race trim.

“We’ve got some really good understanding of things we need to change to improve,” said Russell.

“Obviously the biggest limitation at the moment is outright downforce, but certainly there are things we can do to go quicker with the amount of downforce we’ve got.

“So we need to go back and they should be relatively… not easy fixes but we should be able to have a quicker turnaround with something like that. We’re learning on that front.

“It’s small gains, but small gains here and there before you know it they all add up.”

Russell felt that Williams was “almost” in a position to scrap with the tail-end of the midfield in Bahrain.

“We were almost fighting in… I think I could have held [Lance] Stroll off, Stroll overtook me with the [Sebastian] Vettel incident,” he said.

“I went to the outside of Vettel and Stroll overtook me on the inside. Without that, I think I could have held Stroll off. He was definitely quicker but we had enough pace to hold him off.

“I think [Carlos] Sainz was struggling to get past me for five or six laps before and he did an additional pit stop which maybe in hindsight was better.

“But small signs that if we optimise it slightly more we can pick up from people’s mistakes and we need to capitalise on that.”

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McLaren not expecting regular Red Bull battles

McLaren thinks it is too much to expect it to be able to regularly battle Red Bull from now on, despite its promising performance in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Woking-based outfit has made good progress with its car this year, and Carlos Sainz tried to pull a move on eventual fourth-place finisher Max Verstappen at Sakhir last weekend before they clashed.

Although the collision put Sainz out of contention, the fact he was able to challenge a Red Bull has pointed to good potential in the team's car.

But McLaren CEO Zak Brown has urged caution about the team's situation, and he still believes that there is a big gap between the top three teams and the rest of the field.

Asked by Motorsport.com if he was hopeful of more Red Bull battles this year, he said: "I think that will probably be optimistic.

"I was pleasantly surprised we were as close to them at the weekend. But I think we still feel there is a big gap to the top three, and I don't think this weekend changes our views."

Sainz's teammate Lando Norris finished best of the rest in Bahrain with a sixth-placed finish to take his first points, having made two consecutive Q3 appearances.

But Brown thinks that the battle in the middle of the pack is so close that results will swing dramatically from one weekend to another.

"We definitely feel we had a made a step but it is close in the midfield," he said. "There is just nothing between fourth and ninth.

"I still think there will be weekends where we are the fourth/fifth quickest team and other weekends where we are eighth/ninth quickest team. So far we have been near the fourth/fifth in qualifying and race pace, but I think it will be track specific.

"You need the team to execute well but on the drivers we are really pleased with how Carlos and Lando are on it.

"If you look at some of the other teams, some of them have a divide between their drivers, so when it is such a close race everything is going to count.

"I am really pleased we have the two drivers we have, because that can make a difference in the team championship. So for us it's just head down and we've got to keep working hard because it is a development war."

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Was Leclerc's Bahrain reaction a 2019 title 'campaign speech'?

Through his composed and graceful reaction to his Bahrain Grand Prix heartbreak, Charles Leclerc took another step towards making Ferrari his team and himself its main championship hope.

As a remarkably composed Leclerc carried himself through his first F1 post-race podium routine minutes after his maiden grand prix win was taken away in cruel fashion, the TV feed made several pointed cuts towards several members of his Ferrari crew. Obviously distraught, they nonetheless could be seen seemingly hanging on to every word of his surprisingly positive parc ferme interview, and cheered him loudly as he stood on the rostrum and maintained a consistent smile.

Those men were only a small, and likely unrepresentative, sample out of the much larger group of Ferrari F1 employees, but the whole of the Maranello crew will have seen that interview and that podium ceremony. For Leclerc and Ferrari, the whole weekend will have been a massive bonding experience, and his post-race conduct could very well prove its most important moment, and a tangible step towards the Scuderia becoming very much his team.

Plenty of words have already been said and written about the match-up between Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel – the man Mattia Binotto described as Ferrari's “priority”, its “guide” and “our champion” heading into the season – and how Leclerc clearly bested Vettel in Bahrain. The mismatch was a little too big for there not to have been some mitigating circumstances, but the German will readily admit he was roundly beaten, and that his misfortune, unlike Leclerc's, was self-inflicted.

How Leclerc stacks up against Vettel in the car is what will be the overriding factor in determining his status within the team. But the psychological aspect – the importance of being liked, and doing what you can to lift up those around you – should not be dismissed, especially not with a team that's been through so much disappointment and hardship in the recent seasons. And going by what played out in public after Ferrari's latest bout of adversity, Leclerc hit his marks perfectly.

Aside from the panic of the initial realisation his engine had gone wrong and a couple of slightly exasperated responses to being told to fuel save and hit target laptimes, Leclerc pretty much kept his cool as the Bahrain win got away from him. He was told by his engineer to 'keep calm' and managed to do exactly that, even though those words had not come off reassuring in the slightest.

His post-chequered flag message was initially in English – “well, guys, I'm sorry, I don't know what to say – what a shame, what an amazing race” – before he rattled off several sentences in Italian, without skipping a beat, including a “thank you very much anyway, the car was very good before the problem”.

The parc ferme interview hit the same notes, with expressions of gratitude and of confidence in future success overriding the palpable disappointment. In itself, that's not unusual in the least – it's what you expect to hear 90 percent of the time when a racing driver is being interviewed about a recent setback. Yet with a setback so significant and cruel, and such a short turnaround between losing the win and having to face the cameras, Leclerc's composure was notable.

Think back, for example, to two of the more memorable lost race wins of the hybrid era – the one that got away from Daniel Ricciardo in Monaco in 2016, and Lewis Hamilton's title-deciding engine failure in Sepang later that year.

For Ricciardo, the more farcical cause – Red Bull losing track of the tyres and thus fumbling the decisive pitstop – and the circumstances around it made it a lot harder to take. And he took it hard. “Save it. Nothing you can say could make that any better. Just save it,” was his radio message at the chequered flag, and his post-race interviews carried a similar tone.

Hamilton's Sepang engine blowout, meanwhile, was followed by questions directed at Mercedes, and the infamous suggestion that “something or someone doesn't want me to win this year”.

Neither was wrong to react, of course. And there's the argument to me made that Leclerc's drama, in the context of it being just the second race of the season, was less of a downer than Ricciardo losing a rare opportunity to win with hybrid-era underdog Red Bull or Hamilton watching Nico Rosberg suddenly establish an unassailable points lead.

Still, it was going to be Leclerc's first win, which is pretty special. Then it got taken away from him, and he did not let that get to him.

Because of the way Formula 1 is – with its cloak-and-dagger politics, proud history of Machiavellian scheming and the fact anything anybody involved in it says instantly falls into the nebulous, all-encompassing area of 'mind games' – it is tempting to paint Leclerc's post-race approach in Bahrain as a sort of campaign speech. A 'Leclerc 2019 – vote for me as your candidate for the world championship' in a Ferrari primary.

That's not to suggest an ulterior motive for Monegasque, for whom this kind of positive team-player attitude is nothing new. The 21-year-old's reputation is that of a humble, exceedingly polite, genuinely nice person.

Wolff pointed out on Sunday that Leclerc had “a good personality”, and this was echoed by his former F3 team boss Frits van Amersfoort, who told Motorsport.com this week: “Charles is a charming guy and conquered the hearts of many people last weekend.

"He didn’t lose his cool after those issues. Of course he’s upset, like any other human being. But he understands it and keeps going.

"That guy is just well-balanced. He knows everyone works very hard, he won’t start screaming when something like that happens."

This writer's recollections of Leclerc's F2 season are very much in line with Van Amersfoort's assessment. On-track setbacks were a rarity for him in that campaign, but those that did occur – the feature race heartbreak on home soil on Monaco, the Baku sprint race penalty, the Abu Dhabi team order to let his teammate through – he took on the chin.

All that said, there's also no need to pretend Leclerc isn't aware of a longer-term benefit from keeping spirits high and staying on the crew's good side. Say what you will about the relentless message of togetherness and unity that has been espoused and emphasised by both Hamilton and Wolff in the last couple of seasons, but the results achieved by Hamilton in the drivers' standings and Mercedes in the constructors' championship speak for themselves.

At Ferrari, any team unity exists within the context of the outfit's reputation of above-average levels of driver favouritism. And while it's not that Vettel hasn't embraced the Scuderia, or that he's been overly critical of his team, his teammate has novelty and youth on his side, and represents a new hope against the backdrop Ferrari's recent title failures – something that is heightened when Vettel makes the kind of mistake he did in Bahrain.

Vettel may have started 2019 as Ferrari's focal point, but Leclerc – intentionally or otherwise – is already vying to be the team's favourite. And the way he handled himself after the Bahrain heartbreak will only accelerate the handover.

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Schumacher didn't expect Bahrain F1 test performance

Mick Schumacher says he did not expect the performance he showed in his debut Formula 1 test this week, having found it “easy” to improve with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
Schumacher drove for Ferrari, the team his seven-time world champion father Michael won five F1 titles with, on Tuesday before switching to Alfa on Wednesday.

The reigning European Formula 3 champion and Formula 2 rookie was second-fastest in the Ferrari and then sixth-quickest in the Alfa, setting almost identical lap times in both.

Asked by Motorsport.com if he expected this performance ahead of the test, Schumacher admitted: “To be honest, not.

“But I guess because I had so much fun it was easy the work on my myself, to work with the team.

“Both teams were very open and very good in teaching me the points I had to know.

“Over the whole day I was able to improve and to find the limit."

Schumacher’s 1m29.998s on the second day in the Alfa was just 0.022s slower than he had managed in the Ferrari, which was the dominant car over the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

His Ferrari programme was interrupted by the prolonged rain that halted the test for several hours on Tuesday and the 20-year-old said although he had improved on his second day, comparing the times was difficult.

“[It was] very different conditions,” he said. “It is hard to compare the two days, the cars in front were very quick.

“But we did a decent job and we can be happy about it.”

Schumacher added that he had gained confidence by targeting “all the points of [Tuesday] that maybe didn’t work, or where I had the feeling of being able to improve”.

“It seems like it worked well, so I’m happy,” he said.

Schumacher’s first F1 test followed his F2 race debut in Bahrain last weekend.

The Prema driver scored points in both races having recorded a best finish of sixth in the sprint race, which he started from pole position.

He said he did not know when his next F1 opportunity would emerge, with fellow Ferrari protege Callum Ilott due to drive for Alfa in the Barcelona test.

The next F2 race is in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.  

“[I do not know] what is going to happen,” said Schumacher. “I’m looking forward to being in F2 again.

“Baku is a special track and it will be the first time for me.

“I’m going to do a lot of work with Prema in the sim and prepare for that.

“I’ll try to use what I’ve learned here and try to put that onto the track in F2.”

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Alonso: 2019 McLaren a step forward – but not enough to tempt me back

Fernando Alonso may have stepped away from Formula 1 at the end of 2018. But just four months into 2019, he was already back in an F1 car – and having sampled McLaren’s current-spec MCL34 during testing in Bahrain, the Spaniard appeared impressed with the work the team had done.

“Obviously it’s a step forward in every aspect of the car,” said Alonso after his two days of running at Sakhir. “I think the car has more grip, the car is less draggy on the straights. The engine is a bigger step better as well. Overall, as a package, I think the car is on the right direction.

“I think this year there is a good baseline and good programme of development, and I think it’s going to be a much better season. I’m happy. Especially last year, it was a good start, but then we stopped the development probably in May or June, so that was painful until Abu Dhabi. I knew that it was my final season as well, so to run with the same car from Barcelona to Abu Dhabi was painful.

“Obviously we saw in the first two races [of 2019] there is still another step to do if you want to compete with the top three teams. But as a first step I think, [to be the] fourth team or leading the midfield together with Haas, that’s the target. I felt that on the car as well.”

You’ll notice we didn’t say that Alonso ‘retired’ from Formula 1, with the Spaniard cunningly leaving the door open when he announced his departure from the sport to allow a possible return if the mood took him further down the line. So had driving McLaren’s 2019 offering provided the impetus for the two-time champion to consider a comeback?

“Not really,” said Alonso, who will now switch his attention to making his second attempt at the Indianapolis 500 in May. “I think what I had to achieve in Formula 1... it was achieved already in the past. No regrets.

“If one day I come back in Formula 1 – which I doubt because my decision is firm to stop Formula 1 – it’s if I win a world championship. That possibility is tempting for any driver. But to finish seventh or sixth, or even fourth, it’s not tempting still.”

Current McLaren drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris can rest easy, then…

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Honda within 10bhp of Mercedes & Ferrari says Hamilton

Since returning to F1 in 2015, Honda have spent most of the time rooted to the bottom of the power unit pecking order. But they showed promise last year and appear to have made gains over the winter, so much so that reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton reckons they are now very close to the leading contenders in terms of power…

Red Bull have been waxing lyrical about Honda since they announced a multi-year partnership that kicked off this season, with Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly particularly complimentary during a very productive and encouraging showing during pre-season testing.

They converted that positive chatter into a cold, hard result in Australia, as Verstappen took third after a stunning pass on Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, giving Honda their first podium since 2008.

In Bahrain, it was less spectacular, but Honda still got three of their four cars into the points, while Red Bull suggested their lack of performance relative to Australia was down to their chassis.

Hamilton, who finished second in that race but won in Bahrain, was complimentary of the rival power unit.

"Without doubt, the Red Bulls have a much better power unit this year," said Hamilton. "I think their engine performance is very, very close. I believe it's within 10bhp or something of the top cars.

"If you look at their GPS speed on the straights, they're pretty much just as quick as us. That's a great start for them and I really hope the reliability's strong for them so they can be really in the fight."

[MIKA27]

Hi all. I will be away from the forum for the remainder of this week, heading away with my son for school holidays.

Back Monday next week  

[MIKA27]

CAN SEB AND CHARLES CONTINUE TO PLAY NICE?

With Charles Leclerc having taken pole and openly flouted team orders in just his second race with the team, the signs are already there for teammate tension at Ferrari…

Two races into the season, it’s already time to have that conversation about Sebastian Vettel.

Okay, so not that conversation – you know, the one where we ask whether Charles Leclerc is proving to be the superior driver. Leclerc may have taken pole in Bahrain, but he’s still 1-1 in the qualy head-to-head, and Vettel is yet to drive a clean race. We can reserve judgement on that a little while longer, at least.

No, the conversation I’m talking about has a slight, but important difference. Specifically, it’s not a question of pace, but how Vettel perceives the challenge Leclerc is giving him, and whether that poses a threat to intra-team harmony.

The reason this isn’t premature is that, throughout his 12+ year career, Vettel has either established absolute superiority over his teammate, or things in his team have tended to go south. “Healthy competition” just isn’t a phrase in the German’s vocabulary.

Consider that among Vettel’s season-long teammates, two have been willing to play the role of number two (Sebastien Bourdais, Kimi Raikkonen) and largely avoided any problems, one beat him (Daniel Ricciardo) and precipitated his move to Ferrari, and the other, as you probably know (Mark Webber) butted-heads with him at every turn, giving us one of the most contentious teammate relationships in F1 history.

So when Charles Leclerc comes along and takes the fight to Vettel – especially when he’s not supposed to – it makes sense to take notice. It may be only one race, but Bahrain flew directly in the face of what we’d heard and seen two weeks prior in Melbourne, where Ferrari’s decision to hold the faster Leclerc behind Vettel was a clear indication of where the two were in the pecking order.

Given everything we know about Vettel, and assuming Leclerc hasn’t received a reprimand from Mattia Binotto for his actions in Bahrain – and there’s been no indication he has – you would think that would create some serious tension. Being faster and insubordinate, Leclerc was essentially Ricciardo and Webber rolled into one, so why should we expect the end result to be any different?

That said, it’s fair to suggest Leclerc’s own misfortune may have been something of a mitigating circumstance, but sympathy is unlikely to save the Monegasque from Vettel’s wrath if it happens again, and that makes this the first real test of Binotto’s leadership.

The first seed of a civil war has now been sown, and either Binotto will need to make a big show of laying down the law, or, Vettel has to reassert his dominance on track. Anything less, and regardless of whether Leclerc proves consistently faster, the teammate dynamic is likely to shift significantly, and where Vettel is concerned, that’s a dangerous proposition indeed.

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ALONSO: I’M THE BEST IN THE WORLD AND I WANT TO PROVE IT

Fernando Alonso believes he is the best race driver of this era and, in a recent interview, he revealed that the fact he is simultaneously tackling a number of vastly different motorsport disciplines is part of his plan to prove that he is indeed the best in the world.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Alonso said ahead of his recent Formula 1 test with McLaren in Bahrain, “I believe I’m the best in the world and I want to prove it. I’m looking for something that is unprecedented in sports. I was competitive for many years in Formula 1 and I have been lucky to be a champion. My last season was the best, I beat my teammate 21-0, something I had never done in my career.”

But that was clearly not enough for the Spaniard who decided there was no light at the end of the tunnel to McLaren’s performance woes – podiums and victories highly unlikely – and at the end of last year he decided to quit the top flight to focus on winning iconic races while his quest for the Triple Crown of Motorsport remains a priority and very much on track.

Alonso pointed out, “I’ve won at Le Mans, Sebring, Daytona, hopefully I’ll be competitive at Indianapolis and do other things off-road. I’m looking for something that is unprecedented in sports. Maybe one day I’ll get into a Formula 1 car or any other car and find someone faster than me. So far it has not happened.”

Before the two day Bahrain F1 test, the 37-year-old made a trip to South Africa to test Nasser Al Attiyah’s Dakar Toyota Hilux and then a day after his Sakhir appointment he jetted to Paul Ricard for WEC testing with Toyota Gazoo Racing – the veteran experiencing three very different disciplines of the sport within ten days.

Asked how he adapted to the vastly different race cars, Alonso said, “It’s a challenge. When I try these cars it’s not about fun, it’s about putting all my effort into it. All this is very demanding and it is not as fun as people think.”

“I put a lot of effort into everything I drive. There is no time to adapt in the cars. You must immediately remember the systems, how everything works and where everything is turned. It’s not fun, it’s dedication.”

Alonso made his debut for Toyota in the WEC last year and after six rounds of the two-year Super-Season, he has won at Le Mans, Spa Francorchamps and Sebring, and is looking a sure bet for the title with teammates Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.

But he revealed that it was not as easy as it appeared, “If I look at Spa, a year ago, I did not have any experience in endurance, except for the Daytona race in 2018, but a lot had happened to me: I said goodbye to F1, I won at Le Mans and also at Daytona.”

“If looked at my end of the season in 2018 with Suzuka, Fuji, Austin Mexico, Brazil, China and Abu Dhabi on the trot, it was a great challenge, this focus and effort continued throughout last year. ”

“I think I keep improving every time I get in the car. There are always new elements to sample, new software, development updates mean we have different things on the car to what we had in Sebring a month ago. You always have to update yourself and every time you jump into the car things get better.”

When asked about the difference between F1 and the LMP1, Alonso replied, “Initially your driving is not efficient enough, [the LMP1 Toyota] requires a specific style of driving, you have to be efficient, you have to be gentle with the brakes to regenerate as much recovery from the hybrid system as possible, very precise with the accelerator and no room for error on the exit of turns because you need the energy for the next straight. Very precise, no doubt.”

“In an F1 you forget there is so much grip, more power, fuel… I’ve been lucky enough to try very different cars in recent years – I even did a test with Honda on MotoGP bike – and it is very interesting to see what each car is able to do on different terrains and I am always positively surprised by each one.”

Earlier this year, after winning the Daytona 24 Hours, with Wayne Taylor Racing, the double F1 World Champion made it known he would fancy a drive in an off-road machine, and of course Toyota Gazoo Racing obliged with a test in Al Attiyah’s Dakar winning Hilux.

Alonso explained, “In general, I have to carefully consider driving in rallies. It is one thing to do a test and have fun and another to go fast. It’s something that I have to evaluate in the next two months. At the moment I focus on Spa, Indianapolis and Le Mans. Until July, I will not consider anything regarding my future.”

Meanwhile, it is well known that bosses of the upwardly mobile Formula E series are keen to attract Alonso to race in the premier electric championship, but when asked if this was an option, he replied, “For the time being no. I will evaluate my 2020 possibilities this summer.”

“My priorities are the races that I have ahead. I want to have fun and go to events that are prestigious enough to be interesting. There are many races and categories, some well-known others not, you have to combine where you can have fun and what can give prestige to your career. ”

Beyond actual driving, Alonso also has interests in a karting track and has added a Formula Renault to his portfolio of projects, all which keep him on the move and in constant demand.

“I’m going to have to go back to F1 and see if I can relax a bit,” he joked before adding, “I thought I would have much more time after leaving F1, but it has not been like that.”

“I’m also very involved with the Museu Y Circuito Fernando Alonso, where we have a new campus in summer, with new kids. I am also involved with Formula Renault, which is my first experience owning a single-seater team. We run at Monza in two weeks and it will be exciting. I will be there for sure.”

Apart from his three WEC wins, including last year’s Le Mans and the Daytona 24-Hour victory, Alonso won 32 F1 races and was back-to-back World Champion in 2006 and 2007. He made 311 starts in the top flight, finishing on the podium 97 times.

MIKA: I respect Alonso but he highly overrates himself. Best in the world....?

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FIORIO: VETTEL VERSUS LECLERC WILL BE A BIG PROBLEM FOR FERRARI

While the Formula 1 world is tantalised by the arrival of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, the team’s former chief Cesare Fiorio is not so sure that a driver battle for supremacy is what the most famous team needs as they hunt reliability for their otherwise impressive package.

At the end of last season, Ferrari decided to promote young Charles Leclerc to the main team for this season, the 21-year-old stepping up to challenge 31-year-old Sebastian Vettel, a case of youth versus experience.

After a dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix the young charge has seized the upper hand in emphatic style on a night he deserved a first F1 victory but was robbed by a technical issue and had to settle for third instead.

Nevertheless, the die was cast when Leclerc defied team instructions during the race and clinically got by his teammate after being told to wait, the message he sent the red pitwall was loud and clear.

In an interview with Tutti Motori Web, after the Bahrain weekend, Fiorio said of Leclerc’s performance, “Frankly, I expected it. Last year I followed Leclerc very carefully with Alfa Romeo and saw that, after the first four or five races in which he learned his trade, he started to dominate the team, to humiliate his teammate and deliver great results for that car.”

“Therefore, when he arrived at Ferrari, I immediately thought it would be a big problem for Vettel, who is a driver who mistakes when he is put under pressure.”

Ferrari’s new team principal Mattia Binotto insisted ahead of the season that the two drivers would be given equal treatment and would be free to race. But at the season opener, Leclerc was told to hold station late in the race when he was clearly quicker than his teammate.

Two weeks later, again he reeled in the #5 car but this time he defied the call to hold station for a couple of laps and attacked when the first opportunity arose less than a lap later.

Fiorio continued, “I have great esteem for Binotto, who has been at Ferrari for decades and is an engineer of the highest order. He knows how to make strong race cars and can take care of their flaws. From this point of view, he will be very good for the team.”

“However, he probably didn’t expect Leclerc to be immediately competitive, as I expected he would be. This will pose a big problem for him because on the one hand, he will have to push Leclerc and on the other hand, the team needs to counter a very competitive Mercedes. I don’t know how they will react.”

“If I had to decide, I would not appoint a number one or number two driver, I would leave them free to do their races, hoping for circumstances to sort it out. Then later there is always time to make provisions as the race develops.

Fiorio managed potentially explosive teammates, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell during his tenure at the helm of Maranello and agrees that there are similarities, “Yes, a little…”

“But at the time, even though Prost and Mansell were very competitive with each other, there were never any problems. Now it is necessary not to put Vettel in a position to make mistakes by removing the pressure off him, even if it is not easy, in such a tight fight.”

“If Leclerc is faster let him overtake and if Vettel can he will defend his position. This is fine as long as this makes the team more competitive against Mercedes. For the long term, we must focus on Leclerc who has all the technical skills, great spirit and racing talents,” reasoned Fiorio.

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Infographic: Formula 1 in 1,000 races

Formula 1 turns 1,000 next weekend – the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix will be the 1,000th championship race. A lot has happened between 1950 and 2019, here's some key stats...

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo admits he is still adjusting to less downforce

Daniel Ricciardo has conceded that he is still trying to “figure out” how to adapt his driving style to Renault’s R.S.19, following five years of using front-running Formula 1 machinery.

Ricciardo raced for Red Bull from 2014 to 2018 and had a race-winning car in all bar one season, scoring seven wins overall and placing third in the standings on two occasions.

For 2019 Ricciardo has made the move to a Renault team that is still ostensibly in the midfield, having failed to make it through to Q3 so far this season.

Ricciardo has had a subdued start to his Renault career and says he is still getting accustomed to driving with less grip.

“I’m carrying quite a bit of entry speed at the moment, but killing everything on the exit,” he said.

“I’m probably used to carrying a lot of entry speed. In a way, part of it could be overdriving with the current grip I’ve got.

“So just bringing that back and understanding the best way to execute a fast lap with this car.

“In debriefs, I hear the way Nico [Hulkenberg] talks and describes the car. I am starting to get that this is a different beast and he is obviously very comfortable.

“I made some comments [in Bahrain about] the way the car responded, and I was a bit surprised, but he said that is just normal, that is how this car is.

“So I’m trying to learn from his experience with it, it is getting there. The positive for me is that I still know that there is a lot from me to still gain from this car. They way I see it is that it is only going to get better.

“I just hope it happens sooner, but it is going to be a bit of a process. A few grands prix should be okay.”

Ricciardo pointed to his 2014 move to Red Bull – and the manner in which Charles Leclerc has adapted to Ferrari – to outline the differences in changing machinery.

“I knew it would take time, but in my heart, I just expected to jump in the car first lap be like sweet, we are going to be good,” he said.

“So coming a step back as far as grip and handling, it is no secret that we are not on the pace of the car I had last year. So that is something I need to figure out again.

“In Charles’ situation coming up his seat this year, it is a bit like me when I came from Toro Rosso to Red Bull.

“Everything becomes easier, you have more grip, and it is like ‘oh wow the car can do this’?

“So it is a bit of patience and discipline for me, but that is cool. It is challenging in itself to learn that and figure it out. In a way that is exciting so that is cool.”

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The 'Haas' model important for the future of Formula 1 - Ross Brawn

Formula 1's Ross Brawn believes the way in which Haas entered the sport and operates is an important model for the future of F1, despite some teams taking issue with it.

The American team entered F1 in 2016 and immediately impressed with a sixth place finish at the season-opening race, which was followed up with fifth in Bahrain, helping the team to eighth place in the standings in its debut year.

The team has gone from strength to strength and secured its best ever result last year with fifth place.

However some teams have questioned the model by which Haas operates. The team has a close relationship technical relationship with Ferrari and buys all non-listed items from the Italian team, as well as using its facilities.

Whilst the model is legal, question marks remain over the closeness of the relationship with Ferrari – although Haas aren't the only team to have links to a manufacturer. Alfa Romeo, Racing Point and Toro Rosso are all aligned with other teams, although to a lesser extent than Haas.

Brawn though believes the model is important to attracting new teams to F1, but admitted some tweaks might be needed to ensure it isn't exploited.

"The Haas model is interesting," said Brawn. "It has been very successful and it’s something we have to maintain for the future, for it to be possible for a small team to be able to come in and be pretty respectable.

"There is some trimming we need to do to what they have been able to do. I don’t see a big change in the Haas model [post-2021].

"But we need to make sure we remove the doubt some teams have about their co-operation with the big team, which is Ferrari. We need to make sure it’s well defined and everyone knows what you can and can’t do.

"There are grey areas we need clarity on. Haas is a good model, we don’t want to spoil it, but we want to make sure of its place in F1."

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Encouraged Carlos Sainz Jr. is wary of front-limited circuits

Carlos Sainz Jr. says McLaren should be lifted by the pace of its MCL34 but remains cautious that its pace may not be so strong at front-limited circuits.

Sainz Jr. battled Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the early stages of Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix though made contact with the Dutchman and slithered down the order with damage.

McLaren team-mate Lando Norris went on to record sixth place to claim his maiden points.

It marked McLaren’s best result in over a year.

“I am very encouraged about the pace of the car, about my feeling with my car,” said Sainz Jr.

“I think you could see in those first three or four laps how easily I could keep up with the Mercedes and the Red Bull. How easily I was [able to] attempt a move on Max at the earliest opportunity.

“So there is positives, there is a lot of positives to take. I still have a smile on my face because of that.

“I'm not going to let an accident like this one ruin my confidence because my confidence is really high at the moment.”

The nature of Bahrain’s circuit means it is a rear-limited venue but the next stop on the Formula 1 calendar – China – is front-limited.

Sainz Jr. believes that will be a proper test of McLaren’s progress.

“We need to go to front limited circuits because at the moment our car feels front limited and obviously a track like Bahrain which is rear limited played to our strengths,” he commented.

“So we need to be careful, we need to make sure we keep changing the balance of the car and when we get to a front limited track like China we are on top of it and keep being strong on different types of tracks.

“China is a completely different one to Bahrain and we need to keep pushing.”

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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc cleared to use Bahrain engine in China

errari has confirmed the power unit that cost Charles Leclerc a likely first Formula 1 race victory in Bahrain last weekend can be used again at the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix.

Leclerc claimed his maiden pole position at Sakhir and fought back to re-claim the lead from Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel, having dropped to third on the opening lap.

Leclerc held a comfortable advantage over Lewis Hamilton following the pit stop phase and looked set to take his maiden win.

But with 13 laps remaining he reported a loss of power and his SF90 was slowed by several seconds a lap, and he dropped to third place, behind Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Ferrari initially suspected an MGU-H failure was behind the issue but post-race team boss Mattia Binotto clarified that a “mis-combustion” had led to a loss of one of the six cylinders in Leclerc’s power unit.

On Friday Ferrari confirmed that Leclerc will be able to use the same power unit in China, thus keeping the Monegasque youngster on his planned engine schedule for the campaign.

It also revealed that its technicians and engineers “traced the fault on the car to a short circuit within an injection system control unit.”

It stressed that “this type of problem had never been seen before on the component in question.”

Leclerc’s podium was nonetheless his first in Formula 1 and he sought to take the positives from the weekend post-race, with his conduct widely praised within the paddock.

Ferrari holds second place in the Constructors’ Championship, 39 points behind Mercedes.