Leclerc: Haas, Alfa Q3 appearances shows Ferrari F1 engine progress

Leclerc beat Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to the top spot in qualifying for this year’s season opener, while Ferrari-powered Alfa and Haas – the teams that finished second-to-last and last in the 2021 constructors’ standings – finished sixth and seventh with Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen. 

Ferrari and its customer squads endured two very difficult seasons in 2020 and 2021 after losing significant engine performance as part of the manufacturer’s settlement with the FIA over the controversial arrangement of its engine in 2019. 

But Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto had said ahead of the Bahrain race weekend that he believed it had caught up a 25bhp power deficit to Mercedes and Honda (now badged as Red Bull Powertrains) with its work for 2022, with his drivers and those at Ferrari’s customer squads going on to enjoy strong showings as a result in Saturday’s qualifying at the Sakhir track. 

When asked by Autosport what he felt those results said about Ferrari’s engine gains, Leclerc agreed it was “a step in the right direction”, but also insisted Haas and Alfa also deserved praise for their respective 2022 chassis designs. 

He said: “I haven’t seen the data [from qualifying] yet, but it definitely felt better than last year and it’s a step in the right direction.  

“I think that obviously one Haas and the Alfa shows the we’ve made a step forwards.  

“But it’s not to underestimate the work that they’ve done, because they were also very quick in corners. I think it’s a combination of both – the car and the engine.  

“But speaking of ourselves, it’s definitely a step forwards and we look quite strong on the straights now. So, it’s good to see this.” 

Pole man Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, celebrates

Photo by: Steven Tee /