Ferrari narrows gap to Red Bull: 'Shows how hard they've been working'

Despite Ferrari 's disappointing results in the past five races, Christijan Albers thinks that the Italian team is on a better path than Red Bull Racing in terms of updates. The big speed difference on the straight that was still present in Miami, was almost gone in Baku.

Red Bull seemed to be superior on the straights in the first races of 2022. The Austrian racing team was often twelve to fourteen kilometers per hour faster than Ferrari. Albers says in the Formula 1 Podcast by The Telegraph that this difference has largely been erased after the upgrades that Ferrari brought to the Spanish Grand Prix.

Ferrari drives gap with Red Bull

"It shows how hard Ferrari has worked, after they came back to Europe from Miami. After that update from Barcelona you can see that they have caught up with that speed on the straight," said Albers. According to the former Formula One driver, Ferrari's aerodynamic improvements are working and the F1-75 is catching less wind on the straight.

In Baku, the consequence of the update was best seen so far, Albers believes. According to the Dutch analyst, the difference in top speed between the RB18 and the F1-75 was now about four to six kilometers per hour. "So so far they have done better at Ferrari with the updates they have brought than at Red Bull," Albers concludes.

Problems with reliability

Although the Ferrari's straight-line speed has improved, its reliability certainly has not. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz dropped out with engine problems. The Italian team will therefore first want to work on reliability.