WATCH: Charles Leclerc’s Nerve-Wracking Joke to the Ferrari Pit Wall as He Crossed the Checkered Flag

The 2022 season began and the first race of the season is over. Ferrari took the lead this season with a 1-2 finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc winning the season-opener race. The Monegasque driver dominated throughout the race.

What’s the better way to celebrate the victory than playing a small prank on the team? As soon as Leclerc won the season opener, he reports to his team that there is some issue with the F1-75 engine. But when the Ferrari team responded back to Leclerc, he reveals it was just a prank.

“There’s something strange with the engine,” Leclerc said on his team radio. “I’m joking.”

Charles Leclerc frustrating Max Verstappen

The Ferrari man was the favorite to win the season opener. He had a great performance in the Bahrain qualifying, finishing on the pole. The Italian driver leads the entire race. But the greatest task he had was to hold Max Verstappen in the back.

Leclerc didn’t allow the reigning champion to stay away from him throughout the race. Leclerc took back his lead as soon as Max tried to go ahead of him. However, the Red Bull driver apparently could have overtaken Leclerc, but because of the advice from the Red Bull stables, Verstappen couldn’t go ahead Charles.

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Leclerc eventually had nothing to fear from Max Verstappen; therefore, the Dutchman had to satisfy with a similar result like last year at Bahrain, finishing at P2. However, Verstappen had to retire from the ongoing race because of engine issues.

Can Ferrari win the 2022 title?

The Maranello base is the fastest at the moment. They were phenomenal in the season opener. But they were impressive even in the pre-season testing at Barcelona and Bahrain. Ferrari has been struggling for the past few seasons but it seems they can return back to their glory days this year.

The Italian constructor has been working on their 2022 challenger even before last year’s car. It seems they have succeeded in their work. Not only their car is phenomenal this season, but also the other cars with Ferrari engines inside them. Even the eighth-time world champion constructor Mercedes favored the Italians to win the season opener.

The Silver Arrow driver Lewis Hamilton predicted after pre-season testing that the Ferrari duo will dominate in the Bahrain GP. The prediction by the seven-time world champion actually happened in real life. As the Briton joined the Ferrari duo on the podium, they finished at first and second place.

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Ferrari is the favorite to win the 2022 season at the moment. But it’s still very early to say anything. Let’s see whether Ferrari can replicate the Bahrain results even in the Saudi Arabia race.