Ferrari have been very quick since joining the top tier of the World Endurance Championship, winning two consecutive races at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Italian manufacturer have been impressive since debuting the Ferrari 499P in the Hypercar class in 2023, becoming Toyota’s closest challenger last season.
This season has been slightly more difficult for Ferrari despite taking another victory at Le Mans, with the Scuderia lacking raw speed at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo and in Japan.
The No. 50 car won in France, helping Ferrari stay in contention for the WEC Manufacturers’ Championship in the final round.
Heading into the 8 Hours of Bahrain, Ferrari are third in championship standings but 27 points behind leaders Porsche.
Ferrari will need some luck to win the title, and Nicklas Nielsen outlined when talking to sportscar365 the key areas the Italian manufacturer needs to focus on in Bahrain.
Nicklas Nielsen explained Ferrari ‘have to focus on’ tyre management at the 8 Hours of Bahrain
Nielsen has been critical to Ferrari’s good performances since he joined the team in the Hypercar class, as they have been consistent frontrunners.
The Danish driver is second in the Drivers’ Championship alongside his teammates Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco, who won at Le Mans.
They are unlikely to win the driver’s title as the No. 6 Porsche has a commanding lead of 35 points heading into the final round.
Tyre management is very important in Bahrain as the abrasive surface creates a difficult prospect for the tyres over a stint.
The traction control system assists the drivers in stopping the rear tyres from giving up, but they are tricky to manage.
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Nielsen explained that tyre management is very important, but Ferrari may ultimately be competitive in the lower temperatures at night.
He said: “I think Bahrain is always tough for most cars. Especially during the beginning of the race, when it’s really hot.
“So I think it’s more about managing the tyres than actual upgrades. So that’s what we have to focus on there, and then our car is usually fast when the temperature goes down.
“So hopefully, before the end of the race, we’ll be strong. “We improved, definitely, but there is still stuff to be improved, but that’s to be expected.
“It’s not very often you do an upgrade, and then everything just seems a lot better. I’m quite confident that the upgrade was good.”
Ferrari need to be more consistent next year to put together a championship-challenging WEC campaign
Ferrari had some incredible highs this season, such as the second consecutive win at Le Mans with the No. 50 car.
Despite winning in France, Nielsen’s car started the season outside the top five – scoring sixth place in the Qatar 1812km, before slumping to ninth at the 6 Hours of Fuji.
Porsche have been far more competitive, making minimal errors during the German manufacturer’s first season in Hypercar.
They are on the verge of the title, but Laurens Vanthoor warned Porsche that they haven’t won the championship yet.
As the World Endurance Championship only has eight rounds, it can be difficult to recover from any lacklustre results.