The slick tyre gamble that hurt McLaren and Ferrari's Bahrain F1 chances
When the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia eventually got going after an hour and 33 minutes of delays, it became apparent that the intermediate was the tyre to be on among the opening laps - even if the Sepang circuit had looked like it was drying out. At the front of the field, Ferrari and McLaren chose to go all-in on the dry tyres for the restart; Ferrari opted for the soft compound, while ...…
McLaren and Ferrari made a strategic decision to start the Bahrain Grand Prix on dry tyres, with Ferrari opting for the soft compound. However, according to Motorsport.com, it became apparent that the intermediate tyre was the better choice, particularly in the early laps.
The Sepang circuit's unique surface caused difficulties for several teams, including McLaren. Driver Lando Norris attributed his team's struggles to the circuit's tarmac, stating that it was "very different" from other tracks they had visited that year.
Norris qualified sixth-fastest, but will start fifth due to a grid penalty for Red Bull's Isack Hadjar. He expressed frustration with his car's performance, saying it was "not good enough" and that they were "a long way off the pace".
Brief written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com, Free Malaysia Today — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
