Ferrari test driver Marc Gene admits that the team need to look into the "annoying" bouncing that particularly affected Carlos Sainz in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Measures were taken ahead of the 2023 F1 season to address the porpoising that became an issue in the previous campaign, which included introducing new rules for ride heights. Despite this, some cars still seem to have been experiencing bouncing, with Sainz amongst those affected. "It wasn't like the porpoising that we've seen in the past," Gene told the F1 Nation podcast. "But he had some bouncing, it's true. [It] was a bit annoying, because that's something that annoys the driver. "So that's something I'm sure they're going to look at."
Tyre issues not seen in testing
Along with the bouncing, Ferrari also suffered problems with tyre degradation in Bahrain, something that Gene has suggested did not align with their experiences in pre-season testing. "For us, a podium would have been a very good result," the Spaniard said after the race, which ended in a DNF for Leclerc due to mechanical issues and a P4 for Sainz. "Unfortunately, that [did not happen] today and, honestly, it was looking good [before]. Even at some points, with the Soft compound – which was the compound we were expecting [to be] the worst for us – Charles was quite strong. "Then we put the Hard compound [on]. We were expecting it to be the good compound for us and we were nowhere. What we saw in the pre-season testing, we didn't see today on the tyres. "We were aiming for the podium and I think Charles would eventually have got it, not with a margin, but I think he would have had the pace, so it was very disappointing to miss out both for Charles and then of course for Carlos."
Gene praises 'brave' move from Ferrari
Despite the difficulties the team faced in Bahrain, Gene believes that the Scuderia also made some "brave" moves during the weekend, including the decision for Leclerc to not do a second run during Saturday's final segment of qualifying in order to save some tyres for the race start. "I think Ferrari have been brave today," Gene commented. "[They] even did a double pit-stop, so I think Ferrari [are] being brave and creative. The [fresh] tyre allowed [Leclerc] to overtake Checo [Sergio Perez] and pull away from Checo. "So I think what Ferrari did [on Saturday] was quite a brave move. "[In the race], okay, the result doesn't show it, but I think up to the first pit-stop, it was the right choice."
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