Ferrari saw its engine performance take a significant hit in 2020, leaving its works squad and the customer outfits, Haas and Alfa Romeo, on the back foot compared to their rivals.
Ferrari made decent progress with its engine last year, and had a late-season boost thanks to an updated hybrid system that was intended for 2022, giving it confidence heading into the new campaign.
Qualifying in Bahrain proved Ferrari’s step forward with the power unit as Charles Leclerc took pole, while teammate Carlos Sainz secured third on the grid. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas will line up sixth ahead of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in seventh.
It has been suggested that Ferrari’s engine power advantage could be worth as much as two tenths of a second per lap over the rest of the field.
The step forward prompted Haas boss Steiner to claim after qualifying that Ferrari now has the best engine in F1.
“I think the Ferrari engine is now the best engine,” Steiner said.
“I honestly think that,…
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