"We do not expect to finish 8th" - Ferrari's expectations for 2023 Bahrain GP outlined by team principal Fred Vasseur

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has tempered expectations for the 2023 Bahrain GP. The former Alfa Romeo team principal has taken over from Mattia Binotto as team principal at Ferrari and tried to play down expectations from the team for the first race of the season, which starts on Sunday (March 5).

The Italian team started the race weekend on the back foot as Red Bull and Aston Martin jumped to the front. However, in qualifying, Ferrari finally turned up and jumped to second in the pecking order, ahead of Mercedes and Aston Martin.

Charles Leclerc's first qualifying lap was only a tenth slower than what Red Bull's Max Verstappen had done at the time, showing Ferrari's potential for the weekend. Vasseur did, though, try to temper expectations as he admitted that tyre wear is a concern. There was no talk of fighting for the race win as he admitted that things are still uncertain. He said:

"I don't know what to expect tomorrow. I have expectations, but it's always difficult to know exactly what will happen. We know that in the past, we have suffered from degradation in the race, and for this reason, we have been more cautious and will start with a new set. The season won't end tomorrow night , so we will have to keep the same approach to try and do our best throughout the season."

He added:

"For now, I'm happy, but the points are scored tomorrow. We too, like the fans, don't expect to finish eighth. It's difficult to have a picture for tomorrow now, but it will be the starting point for the season. But yes, we'll try to be on the podium".

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Ferrari book second-row start for season opener

Charles Leclerc will start the season-opening Bahrain GP in P3 while Carlos Sainz will do so in P4. Leclerc did not do a second run in qualifying, as Ferrari wanted to preserve a set of soft tyres for the race.

Tyre degradation is a concern for the team, and drivers have been quite vocal about it. On Friday (March 3), the two Ferrari drivers put together slower lap times on long runs than Aston Martin, and their tyres had worse wear than Mercedes.

It remains to be seen how Leclerc and Sainz fare in the race as Ferrari look to win their first championship in more than a decade.