Charles Leclerc’s horseplay sums up the mood after Ferrari’s flying start

The famous prancing horse on its yellow shield illuminated the VIP tower which overlooks the Bahrain International Circuit, and all the diamond screens around the track glowed red. Ferrari is back.

The last time the Scuderia scored a one-two finish in the championship’s opening round was Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in 2004.

The current combination of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr look every bit as forceful.

Calm, too. Their pitstops were swift and serene, their race strategy proactive rather than reactive, and the radio messages between the pitwall and drivers told the story of a team which has its eye on the prize.

On the final lap, Leclerc even tried to unsettle his engineers with a little prank.

‘I did a bit of a joke, saying there was something strange with the engine,’ the Monegasque smiled after the race. Rather than instil a heart attack, his engineer laughed back. Ferrari knew they were having their leg pulled.

They were unassailable at Sakhir, a track which has often rewarded Ferrari — this was their seventh Bahraini victory. But they have a consistent car that will perform well at all circuits, especially fast ones, because their new power unit is a masterpiece.

Clearly, it packs more horsepower than those of the competition. Just look at Ferrari’s customer team, Haas, who have risen from being a back-of-the- grid joke to third place in the current constructors’ standings courtesy of a dream weekend for the returning Kevin Magnussen. The similarly powered Alfa Romeo, who finished 2021 in ninth, sit fourth.

Reliability is key, too, and that is where Red Bull made their blooper. This is the first season in which Red Bull Racing and their sister squad Toro Rosso are responsible for their own engines,