If Ferrari had any hope that Carlos Sainz would quietly disappear into the night, the opening laps in Bahrain proved so.
In pre-season, the Spaniard has been a consummate professional, conscientiously answering the many questions put to him and being careful not to upset his current employer, but when it came to getting out on court, it was another matter.
Whether it was a calculated move through Sainz or whatever he did in the heat of the moment once he lowered his visor, the future former Ferrari driver took no prisoners under the lights of Bahrain.
In previous years, Sainz acceded to his requests that his former teammate Charles Leclerc be ignored, but in Sakhir he did wait for permission.
Once race engineer Riccardo Adami ignored a suggestive comment that he had more speed, Sainz took matters into his own hands.
While Leclerc was struggling to get grip, Sainz made his move before Turn 1 and it wasn’t the kind of move we’re used to seeing between two teammates.
Ferrari helped Leclerc put him first, the hard undercut, but even that didn’t bother Sainz. He was soon back at the front and also overtook George Russell for the podium.
That’s not how the script was intended to be. Leclerc is the future of Ferrari, while Sainz has just been ruled out because he is 39 years old. The combined problems of the 2025 Ferrari drivers were 18, with Sainz scoring just 3 fewer problems on his own.
While Max Verstappen’s departure to another name seems likely, tension at Ferrari already turns out to be a major story of the season, especially if Bahrain is a sign of things to come.
So far, Leclerc and Sainz have been two of the friendliest teammates on the grid, but the season opener suggests their relationship will bring pressure.
Fred Vasseur was then faced with a new challenge. The Frenchman didn’t hesitate to get ahead of himself when it came to grimacing at Hamilton, but that apparent affection took its toll on Sainz.
Speaking ahead of the race, the Ferrari team principal said his task in the first year is to boost morale, but the goals for the second season are similar to those of Toto Wolff in 2016.
In Race 1 and with many more opportunities to come, the tension is as low as it will be, but as the grands prix roll on, expect fireworks from the Ferrari team.