2026 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 125
Follow Ferrari at the relocated 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, exceptionally being held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. This archive covers practice, qualifying and the race, alongside strategy, tyre performance, technical analysis and every major development involving Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari. For full event history, circuit context, records and Ferrari’s past Bahrain Grand Prix performances, visit our Bahrain Grand Prix circuit guide.
F1 Bahrain GP live coverage from Sepang: Ferrari challenges Max Verstappen in Malaysia
Max Verstappen starts from pole position at Sepang, but Ferrari has every reason to attack in the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row, while Charles Leclerc moves onto the second row after Isack Hadjar’s grid penalty.
Follow the Bahrain GP race live from Malaysia, with the action at Sepang beginning at 09:00 CET. Ferrari heads into Sunday with a stronger opportunity than it had at the difficult Baku street circuit, while tyre management is expected to become one of the defining factors of the Grand Prix.
19:48 – The engines are warming up at Sepang in Malaysia, venue for the 2026 Formula 1 Bahrain GP. Follow the race live from 08:30 CET, with the Grand Prix scheduled to start at 09:00 CET. Full weekend timings and circuit information are available in the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
Updated Bahrain GP starting grid at Sepang and all penalties
Max Verstappen emerged on top in the Malaysian heat, with the Hasselt-born driver returning to pole position for the first time since Abu Dhabi last year. The Red Bull driver produced an excellent qualifying performance on Saturday at Sepang, confirming the progress made with the Milton Keynes car.
Alongside Max Verstappen will be the Ferrari #44 of Lewis Hamilton. The British driver produced an excellent Q3 lap in a car that appeared well balanced, with its main weakness showing on the straights. Lewis Hamilton celebrated over the radio at the end of the session.
Ferrari, which has often been less convincing in qualifying, now has an opportunity to start near the front and fight for a major result. The Malaysian circuit appears considerably more favourable to the SF-26 than the difficult Baku street track.
The third-fastest time in Q3 was set by the other Red Bull of Isack Hadjar. However, the French driver must serve a grid penalty and will surrender his position to Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. Ferrari can also take encouragement from Charles Leclerc’s result: after setting the fifth-fastest overall time, the Monegasque will start from the second row.
Isack Hadjar’s penalty is not the only sanction affecting the Sepang starting order. Check the complete Bahrain GP starting grid for all the latest changes.
Heat and tyre degradation could shape Ferrari’s Bahrain GP strategy
Tyre management is expected to be the key factor in the Malaysian Grand Prix. That has become one of the main themes around the Formula 1 paddock at Sepang, where Malaysia’s humid heat and the highly abrasive asphalt are expected to push teams towards a race featuring at least two pit stops.
In those conditions, Ferrari can be optimistic. The SF-26 has frequently shown itself to be relatively gentle on its tyres, meaning victory at Sepang does not appear out of reach. The choice of compounds and their behaviour in Malaysia could also play an important role, with Pirelli’s Sepang tyre compounds potentially suiting Ferrari’s SF-26 better than the previous round.
There are still significant threats. The race pace displayed by Ferrari’s rivals during free practice, particularly Red Bull and McLaren, appeared promising. Mercedes, meanwhile, did not show the same level of form despite bringing a substantial upgrade package and is still learning how to extract its potential.
However, the championship leaders cannot be underestimated. Kimi Antonelli is not far away and will start from the second row, leaving Ferrari with several major rivals to manage over what is expected to be a demanding race.
With high degradation likely to influence stint lengths and the timing of the expected multiple stops, the complete compound usage and race patterns can be followed through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Video: Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris share friendly paddock moment at Sepang
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris shared a warm paddock reunion at Sepang ahead of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, offering a relaxed moment between the two British drivers shortly before attention turned fully to the race. Ferrari highlighted the encounter on its official social channels, capturing the positive mood around Lewis Hamilton as he prepares to start from the front row.
The timing makes the moment particularly notable for Ferrari supporters. Lewis Hamilton qualified second and will line up behind Max Verstappen, giving the seven-time world champion a major opportunity to challenge from the opening stages. Lando Norris, meanwhile, is set to start fifth for McLaren after the grid order changed following a penalty elsewhere in the field.
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris share relaxed Sepang paddock moment
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris appeared in good spirits together in the Sepang paddock before the race, exchanging a friendly greeting in a scene that contrasted with the competitive stakes awaiting them on track.
Ferrari accompanied the moment with the message: “Bringing this energy into our Sunday 🤝.” The post placed the emphasis firmly on the upbeat atmosphere around the team before a race in which Lewis Hamilton will start from one of his strongest positions of the weekend.
LANDO & LEWIS ❤️ pic.twitter.com/z5JztXSHCW
— ray (@ln4norris) October 4, 2026
There was no suggestion that the interaction carried any sporting significance beyond the friendly reunion itself. It instead offered a brief reminder of the personal relationships that continue to exist between drivers even when they are competing for different teams and positions.
Ferrari enters the Bahrain GP from the front row
For Ferrari, the immediate focus remains the race. Lewis Hamilton’s second-place qualifying result puts the Scuderia alongside Max Verstappen at the sharp end of the grid, while the atmosphere around the paddock moment reflected the confidence and energy Ferrari chose to project ahead of Sunday’s start.
Lando Norris faces a different challenge from fifth place for McLaren. The British driver remains close enough to the leading group to be part of the early race picture, although the supplied information does not establish how the opening stint or strategy is expected to develop.
| Driver | Team | Starting position |
|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1st |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 2nd |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 5th |
Ferrari leans into positive energy before the start
The significance of Ferrari’s post lies less in the sporting consequences and more in the tone surrounding Lewis Hamilton before the Bahrain GP at Sepang. With the British driver starting second, the team has a genuine front-row presence, while the exchange with Lando Norris provided a lighter moment before the pressure of the Grand Prix.
For fans, it was a simple but appealing paddock scene: two British Formula 1 rivals sharing an easy interaction before returning to separate teams and very different starting positions. Ferrari’s decision to amplify it underlined the upbeat mood it wanted to carry into race day.
Ferrari Bahrain GP technical analysis: what Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26 can target at Sepang
Ferrari produced one of its strongest qualifying performances of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang, with Lewis Hamilton taking the SF-26 onto the front row after a session in which several technical factors came together. Tyre usage, hybrid energy deployment, setup choices, aerodynamic configuration and an excellent performance from Lewis Hamilton all contributed to the result. The key question now is how much of that advantage can survive across the 300-kilometre race distance.
The qualifying result was particularly significant because Ferrari found a configuration that played to the strengths of the SF-26 on a difficult circuit. Yet the conditions of a Grand Prix are very different, with a heavier fuel load and tyre degradation potentially changing the car’s behaviour. That makes the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang an especially interesting test of whether Ferrari’s qualifying strengths can also translate into sustained race pace.
Ferrari chooses an aerodynamic configuration that works
Max Verstappen’s strategy has already been analysed in detail separately. It was an approach that helped the Dutch driver move significantly up the order and ultimately beat an impressive Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari SF-26. Looking at the onboard footage, however, the RB22 was certainly not running as though it were perfectly planted on rails. Far from it. What continues to make a major difference in this generation of Formula 1 is straight-line speed.
Cornering speed remains important, of course, even if its influence is not quite the same as it was in the recent past. This is precisely where Ferrari’s number 44 car becomes particularly interesting. The SF-26 climbed onto the front row at a circuit where finding the ideal compromise is far from straightforward.
Ferrari did a good job of identifying where changes were needed. Alongside the most aggressive version of the FTM discharge setting, the team approved an aerodynamic configuration featuring bargeboards with three vertical elements. Compared with the lower-downforce solution used at Monza, which featured a single component, this arrangement provides greater stability. It was another example of the setup direction examined throughout ScuderiaFans’ Ferrari technical analysis.
Two smaller changes were also introduced at the rear of the car. The first concerned the wheel-corner area, where the shape of one of the appendages positioned parallel to the car’s longitudinal axis was revised. The second involved the addition of a winglet to the cascade of flaps mounted directly on the edge of the diffuser.
These changes worked together to increase the local aerodynamic load generated by the car, helping Ferrari achieve the level of downforce it needed around Sepang.
Ferrari telemetry shows its advantage through the corners
The effect of those decisions was visible on track. Comparing the telemetry of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen provides several useful indications of where Ferrari gained its time. Lewis Hamilton’s performance demonstrated the SF-26’s strength through medium- and high-speed corners, with the data showing that Ferrari was able to generate an extremely high level of downforce.
Indeed, Ferrari appeared to have the highest downforce level of any car in this comparison. The detailed speed, braking and corner-entry differences involved in this type of analysis can also be explored through the F1 Qualifying Telemetry & Corner Comparison.
In the second sector of the Malaysian circuit, Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver of all. At the wheel of the SF-26, the British driver gained more than two tenths of a second over practically every other competitor. More precisely, the advantage was around two and a half tenths.
That figure offers a clear indication of the superiority Ferrari was able to exploit after deliberately choosing this aerodynamic configuration. The car was especially effective in the sections where load and stability mattered most.
Looking specifically at the comparison with Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton carried approximately 3, 6, 3 and 8 km/h more speed respectively through the medium- and high-speed corners considered in the data. A similar pattern was visible in the more technical areas of the circuit, where the Ferrari driver was able to carry around 5 km/h more speed through the corner.
Turn 1 was another positive area. Ferrari had spent considerable time studying that corner before qualifying, and Lewis Hamilton ultimately recorded the highest minimum speed of the entire grid there. His broader adaptation to the SF-26 can be followed through the latest coverage dedicated to Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
Between Turns 5 and 6 in the first sector, Lewis Hamilton was also able to lift less from the accelerator. He still performed a lift-off, but only by around 30%, compared with approximately 50% for Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver’s approach, however, was connected to the specific strategy mentioned earlier. By lifting more, Max Verstappen was able to harvest a greater quantity of electrical energy and then deploy it on the following acceleration zone. It highlights the compromise between carrying more speed through the corner and preparing the hybrid system for the straight that follows.
One conclusion is nevertheless clear: Lewis Hamilton extracted the available performance extremely well.
Lewis Hamilton’s driving played a major role in Ferrari’s front row
Lewis Hamilton managed the SF-26 intelligently, controlling its tendency towards excessive rotation and using that characteristic to his advantage without paying too heavy a price in traction instability. That balance was an important part of Ferrari’s qualifying performance.
It also makes the Grand Prix particularly interesting. With a much heavier fuel load, the dynamics that determine how the car must be driven will change considerably. In theory, those conditions should not favour Ferrari to the same extent as qualifying.
That does not necessarily mean the SF-26 will struggle, however, because tyre management introduces another important variable. Ferrari showed encouraging pace during FP2, completing two stints that were run predominantly on the Soft compound. The lap-time progression was positive and degradation was lower than expected.
The tyre picture at Sepang has already emerged as a potentially important factor for Ferrari, especially given the characteristics of the available compounds and the demands placed on the SF-26. A broader look at why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit Ferrari better than Baku provides additional context for the race.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, chose to evaluate the Medium compound during his high-fuel running. That makes a direct comparison with Ferrari difficult because the two cars were not conducting the same programme under comparable conditions.
The different stint choices also mean the true long-run hierarchy remains uncertain. Compound usage, stint lengths and degradation trends can be compared through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Ferrari therefore heads into the race with clear evidence of the SF-26’s strength in the corners and a front-row starting position earned through both technical choices and Lewis Hamilton’s execution. Whether that advantage remains effective with a full fuel load, and whether Ferrari can control tyre degradation across the complete Grand Prix distance, will provide the next and most important answer.
Stefano Domenicali hails F1’s Sepang return as rain greets Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Stefano Domenicali has hailed Formula 1’s return to Sepang as an achievement the sport should be proud of, with the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix bringing F1 back to the Malaysian circuit amid rain and a strong crowd ahead of the race.
Speaking to Martin Brundle a few minutes ago during the pre-race grid walk, the Formula 1 President and CEO described the occasion as “amazing” and highlighted both the unusual circumstances surrounding the Bahrain Grand Prix and the response from spectators at Sepang. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem also presented the event as evidence that Formula 1 can continue operating when circumstances force it to adapt.
Stefano Domenicali celebrates Bahrain GP at Sepang
For Stefano Domenicali, simply seeing Formula 1 assembled on the grid in Malaysia was significant. “I think it’s amazing [that we’re here],” he told Martin Brundle before the start.
The conditions added another unusual element. Rather than the dry desert environment traditionally associated with the Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula 1 found itself dealing with rain at Sepang.
“This is a new condition for the Bahrain Grand Prix with the rain, but let me say thanks to the president of FIA, thanks to the crown prince of Bahrain,” Stefano Domenicali said.
The circumstances have made the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix one of the most unusual events on the calendar. The Bahrain identity has been retained, but the race is being held at Sepang, giving Formula 1 fans another opportunity to see Grand Prix machinery compete on the demanding Malaysian circuit.
Domenicali points to Sepang crowd after F1’s long absence
Stefano Domenicali placed particular emphasis on Formula 1’s ability to respond to an exceptional situation and on the level of support visible at Sepang after the sport’s long absence from the venue.
“It has been an incredible moment to show that in certain situations we are able to react, and to prove that after 10 years, look at the crowd here. So, we should be very proud of it,” he said.
The significance of that comment goes beyond the location of a single Grand Prix. Formula 1 had to stage an event under conditions very different from those normally associated with Bahrain, while Sepang itself once again had to accommodate the operational demands of a modern Formula 1 weekend.
The former Ferrari team principal did not make any broader commitment about Sepang’s future on the calendar. His comments were instead focused on the successful staging of the current event, the cooperation that made it possible and the response from the spectators.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem sees a wider message for motorsport
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem offered a similarly concise assessment on the grid, focusing on what holding the Grand Prix represented for the championship.
“It is a very clear message. Even with this situation, we still can do motorsport,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
For Formula 1, the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang has therefore become more than an unusual entry on the 2026 schedule. Before the cars even began racing, both Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem were pointing to the weekend as an example of the championship’s capacity to react to circumstances while still bringing a Grand Prix to fans.
With rain adding another layer of unpredictability to the race itself, Sepang’s Formula 1 return has already delivered a setting very different from a conventional Bahrain Grand Prix — and one that Stefano Domenicali believes the sport has reason to celebrate.
Bahrain GP technical analysis: Ferrari and Red Bull upgrades pay off at Sepang
Ferrari emerged from Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying at Sepang with encouraging signs from its latest SF-26 updates, while the weekend also provided another reminder that introducing new Formula 1 parts does not automatically translate into immediate performance. Red Bull continued its recent progress, but Mercedes and McLaren appeared to have more work to do to fully understand their respective development packages.
Max Verstappen claimed pole position in Malaysia ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Isack Hadjar setting the third-fastest time before receiving a five-place grid penalty. Kimi Antonelli took fourth despite completing only one flying lap, while Charles Leclerc finished fifth. The penalty moves Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc forward by one position, putting both on the second row and firmly into the battle at the front.
Red Bull confirms its recent progress
Red Bull once again demonstrated the strong form already visible at the previous round in Azerbaijan, where the Milton Keynes team narrowly missed victory but still secured a double podium.
Max Verstappen was not the only Red Bull driver to stand out. Isack Hadjar has also produced strong performances across the last two race weekends, delivering competitive results in both qualifying and the races. His progression is becoming increasingly significant and suggests Red Bull can now rely on both drivers to contribute at the front.
Red Bull’s improvement appears to be linked primarily to two areas: the upgrade package introduced in Baku and changes to the software management of the power unit. The aerodynamic revisions involved the sidepods, diffuser, mirror supports, Halo and engine cover, with the aim of improving airflow management and the distribution of aerodynamic load.
A further solution appeared in Malaysia around the floor-board area, featuring lines reminiscent of some concepts already used by Ferrari. It is another indication that the aerodynamic philosophies of the two teams are gradually converging in certain areas.
Ferrari upgrades deliver encouraging Bahrain GP response
Ferrari brought new diffuser and T-tray specifications to Sepang. The revised diffuser features an additional flap intended to increase rear downforce, while the T-tray has been reprofiled to improve airflow management at the forward section of the floor.
Both changes are intended to help protect the tyres in high-degradation conditions by increasing load and reducing sliding. The updates produced positive feedback, contributing to improved performance from both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton while also providing potentially useful information looking towards 2027.
The changes are particularly relevant at a circuit where tyre behaviour is expected to play a major role. The characteristics of Pirelli’s Sepang compounds and their potential compatibility with the Ferrari SF-26 could become increasingly important over the full race distance.
Mercedes and McLaren struggle to maximise major updates
The performances of Mercedes and McLaren have been less straightforward than expected before the weekend. Following qualifying, the Brackley and Woking teams appeared to occupy the roles of second and fourth force respectively, despite both arriving with important development work to evaluate.
Mercedes introduced a substantial upgrade package covering the floor fences, diffuser, suspension arms and rear hubs, as well as the floor boards and sidepods. It represents the team’s first genuinely significant development package since the Canadian Grand Prix, aside from circuit-specific adaptations introduced at individual rounds.
Part of the objective appears to be gathering valuable data for next season as well as improving the current car. The new floor fences feature solutions similar to concepts already adopted by Ferrari and McLaren, while the diffuser contains several revised profiles designed to increase rear downforce.
Changes to the suspension and rear hubs pursue the same objective. Mercedes’ floor-board concept also follows a philosophy previously seen on Ferrari, offering another example of the gradual aerodynamic convergence taking place between Formula 1’s leading teams.
McLaren still searching for the ideal balance
McLaren continues to show some of the difficulties already seen in Baku, where its car received an important aerodynamic revision. Long straights and slow corners remain the main weaknesses of the Woking car.
As with Mercedes, McLaren still appears to be working to fully understand its new package. The consequence is greater difficulty in finding the correct balance and, in turn, identifying the ideal setup for the circuit.
The contrast between the four leading teams underlines why the scale of an upgrade package does not necessarily determine its immediate impact. Ferrari and Red Bull appear to have extracted useful performance from their recent developments, while Mercedes and McLaren are still working through the process of understanding theirs. The broader competitive picture can also be followed through the Ferrari vs F1 rivals statistics.
Tyre degradation could matter more than energy management
Looking towards the race, which starts at 09:00 Italian time, all four leading teams appear to have competitive long-run pace. Kimi Antonelli looks particularly strong, followed by Ferrari, McLaren and Max Verstappen.
High tyre degradation could make the race especially dynamic, opening several possibilities in terms of strategy and compound selection. The decisive factor may ultimately be the ability to preserve the tyres rather than energy management.
Another important variable is the evolution of the environmental conditions, which changed significantly over the course of the weekend. One clear indicator has been the Mercedes engine cover, which became progressively more closed as the sessions passed, reflecting changing cooling requirements for the power unit.
For Ferrari, the encouraging element is that the Sepang updates have so far produced useful feedback while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remain close enough to the front to exploit a race in which tyre management and strategic execution could prove decisive.
Final 2026 Bahrain GP starting grid confirmed after Sepang penalties
The lights will soon go out for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, the 16th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, with Max Verstappen returning to pole position and Ferrari firmly in contention at Sepang. Lewis Hamilton will start alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row, while Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc share the second row.
The final starting grid has been reshaped by penalties and sets up a race in which strategy, tyre management and the possibility of unexpected incidents could prove decisive. Formula 1 is returning to the Malaysian circuit after a long absence, adding another variable to a Grand Prix expected to place significant demands on both drivers and teams.
For the complete weekend timetable and circuit information, see the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
Final 2026 Bahrain GP starting grid at Sepang
Max Verstappen secured pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Kimi Antonelli moves onto the second row alongside Charles Leclerc. Isack Hadjar, who originally set the third-fastest time in qualifying, drops to eighth after his grid penalty.
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac |
| 21 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 22 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
Ferrari starts the Bahrain GP with both cars in the top four
The final grid gives Ferrari a strong platform for the race. Lewis Hamilton starts from second place alongside Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc lines up fourth behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton produced an excellent final qualifying lap to put Ferrari on the front row, with the complete session covered in our Bahrain GP qualifying report from Sepang.
Behind the leading four, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri occupy the third row for McLaren, with George Russell seventh and Isack Hadjar eighth after the Red Bull driver’s penalty.
Strategy and tyre management could decide the race
The starting order will only be one part of the equation at Sepang. Strategy and tyre management are expected to play a major role, with the Malaysian heat and demanding track surface creating the prospect of significant degradation and multiple pit stops.
Ferrari therefore enters the race with both track position and strategic opportunities. The available tyre sets, expected degradation levels and potential pit-stop windows are examined in our Bahrain GP strategy preview for Sepang.
With Max Verstappen back on pole, Lewis Hamilton alongside him and Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc directly behind, the opening laps could immediately shape the tactical battle in Malaysia.
Bahrain GP strategy at Sepang: tyre sets, degradation and pit-stop options
The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang could be decided as much by tyre availability, degradation and pit-stop timing as by outright pace. Max Verstappen starts from pole alongside Lewis Hamilton, but the remaining tyre sets, the behaviour of the Hard compound and the timing of the first stop are likely to shape a 56-lap race in which several strategic routes remain open.
The race starts at 15:00 local time, 09:00 in Italy, on a circuit that Pirelli places between Spa and Shanghai in terms of tyre severity. The complete weekend information is available in our 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton occupy the front row, followed by Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc on row two. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri make up the third row, with George Russell seventh, Isack Hadjar eighth after his five-place grid penalty, Pierre Gasly ninth and Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top ten.
There is also an important lack of recent data. No team arrived with up-to-date Formula 1 information from this circuit, while 12 of the 22 drivers had never previously raced here in Formula 1. That made Friday practice considerably more valuable than usual.
Which drivers still have new Soft tyres for the Bahrain GP?
Each driver began the weekend with 13 dry-weather sets: eight Softs, three Mediums and two Hards, with an additional Soft set available to those reaching Q3. Pirelli’s prescriptions require every driver to keep one Hard and one Medium set available for the race.
Most of the field has already used the majority of its fresh Soft tyres across practice and qualifying. Based on the timing data and information that emerged after qualifying, Charles Leclerc is the only leading driver with two new Soft sets remaining.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton each retain one new Soft, while Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have none left. Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto each still have one new Soft among the top ten.
Hard tyre availability is different. Pirelli indicates that most drivers have two sets remaining, while Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have only one each. That potentially pushes them towards strategies involving more Soft and Medium running or even three stops. Charles Leclerc created his unusual allocation in FP3, when he abandoned a second Soft run to gather information on the Hard instead. The choice also adds another dimension to the question of how Pirelli’s Sepang compounds could interact with the Ferrari SF-26.
High degradation puts the Hard tyre under the spotlight
Friday practice indicated substantial tyre degradation. On the long runs, the Soft lost an average of 0.22 seconds per lap of tyre age, while the Medium lost 0.25 seconds. Those numbers fall within the two-to-three-tenths-per-lap window Pirelli had anticipated.
The degradation curve was not linear. Performance dropped more sharply during the opening laps before the rate of loss slowed, while nobody extended a Soft or Medium stint beyond 20 laps.
The picture varied considerably between teams. McLaren recorded virtually no Soft degradation at -0.02 seconds per lap, compared with +0.05 for Red Bull, +0.10 for Mercedes and +0.29 for Ferrari, the highest value among the leading teams. On the Medium, Red Bull was strongest at +0.13, while Ferrari again recorded the highest figure at +0.42.
The full compound trends and stint patterns can be compared through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
The Hard remains the major unknown. Nobody used it during Friday’s two practice sessions, and Charles Leclerc was the only driver to run it in FP3, completing 12 laps.
Across five consecutive timed laps, the Monegasque recorded times between 1:41.208 and 1:41.778, corresponding to a degradation rate of roughly 0.03 seconds per lap. Over the same number of laps, used Soft tyres on Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz lost between 1.2 and 1.7 seconds of performance.
Why Pirelli favours two stops at Sepang
Pirelli does not consider a one-stop strategy advantageous at a circuit where overtaking is possible in several places. On paper, the most competitive combinations are Medium-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard.
Our calculation over 56 laps, using Pirelli’s estimate of 22.5 seconds lost for each pit stop, points in the same direction. Applying the degradation measured during practice, the quickest strategy begins with an approximately 11-lap Soft stint before switching to two long Hard stints.
A conventional one-stop loses around ten seconds under those assumptions. For drivers with only one Hard set, such as Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, however, the calculation becomes much tighter. The one-stop deficit falls to only 1.6 seconds, while Soft-Hard-Soft becomes the fastest option.
Everything therefore depends on how the Hard behaves over a long stint. If degradation were around 0.15 seconds per lap rather than the estimated 0.08, a three-stop strategy would become preferable.
For comparison, Max Verstappen won here in 2017 with only one stop, completing 27 laps on the Supersoft before running another 29 on the Soft. Tyre degradation was significantly lower at that time, however, while a pit stop cost approximately 23.5 seconds.
Safety Car and weather could transform the strategy
A neutralisation could completely alter the calculations. A pit stop under the Safety Car costs approximately 11 to 15 seconds rather than 22.5, producing a gain of roughly nine seconds in total race time for a driver who stops at the right moment.
Sepang has not historically produced frequent neutralisations in its most recent races. Across the last five editions, the Safety Car appeared only once, with the Virtual Safety Car also used once. Drivers retaining two Hard sets and a spare Soft have more flexibility to exploit a neutralisation than those with only one Hard available.
The weather remains another major variable. Rain probability for Sunday is above 30 per cent, with showers possible during the second half of the race. In wet conditions, Overtake is disabled and Straight Mode is only partially permitted, directly influencing passing opportunities.
The FIA has also declared a Heat Hazard because the heat index exceeds 31°C, placing additional strain on the drivers as well as the brakes and power units.
If track temperature is lower than on Friday, degradation could decrease. Forecasts suggest approximately 46°C compared with around 55°C during Friday running. That remains only one possible scenario, however, because heat conditions at Sepang are notoriously difficult to predict.
Where overtaking is most likely at Sepang
Turn 1 offers the clearest overtaking opportunity at the end of the main straight, which stretches for more than 900 metres. Cars arrive at more than 320 km/h before slowing to approximately 70 km/h.
Other major braking zones include Turn 4 at around 107 km/h, Turn 8 at approximately 76 km/h and Turn 15 at roughly 79 km/h after the long back straight, where speeds exceed 300 km/h.
Overtake becomes particularly important here. Detection is positioned at 5,110 metres, with the one-second threshold assessed there, while activation comes at 5,160 metres around Turn 15. A driver exiting the final corner within one second of the car ahead can therefore use the additional energy down the main straight towards Turn 1.
As the tyres begin to slide, following another car closely also becomes more costly when accelerating out of slower corners. Overtaking should consequently become easier when there is a meaningful difference in tyre compound or tyre age.
Max Verstappen starts from pole but has limited tyre flexibility
Max Verstappen starts from the front with the fastest car on the main straight and the strongest Friday long run, recorded on the Medium. His eight-lap-normalised average was 1:43.759, with traffic affecting 19 per cent of the run.
His strategic freedom is more limited, however, because only one new Soft and one Hard remain available. Looking ahead to the race, Max Verstappen was unequivocal about his objective.
“I’m happy with today and I’ll definitely try to win tomorrow,” Max Verstappen said.
Isack Hadjar starts eighth without any new Soft tyres, but his Red Bull showed the lowest Medium degradation on Friday at +0.09 seconds per lap. The French driver was satisfied with the car and believes he can make progress through the field.
Mercedes has race pace but no fresh Soft tyres
Kimi Antonelli starts third and showed Friday pace comparable with the leading runners, both on the Soft with a 1:44.340 average and on the Medium at 1:44.303.
George Russell, starting seventh, also produced one of the best Soft long runs at 1:44.332. The drawback for both Mercedes drivers is that they have already used every fresh Soft set.
Kimi Antonelli expects his race performance to be stronger than qualifying suggested, while George Russell believes a podium remains achievable in a strategically complex Grand Prix. One remaining question is whether Mercedes, winners of 11 of the opening 15 races, has resolved its difficulties over a single qualifying lap.
Ferrari has pace but carries the highest degradation
Ferrari appears to have enough underlying pace to fight at the front, but its major concern is tyre degradation, which was the highest among the leading teams during practice.
Charles Leclerc recorded Ferrari’s best Friday Soft long run with a normalised 1:44.320, while Lewis Hamilton was further back at 1:44.800.
Their available tyre sets also create very different strategic possibilities. Lewis Hamilton has one new Soft and two Hards available, while Charles Leclerc has two new Softs but only one Hard.
Lewis Hamilton described Saturday as a day of continuous changes, with the car sliding and Ferrari making one final adjustment before qualifying.
Charles Leclerc was already looking towards the race and the strategic opportunities created by degradation.
“I hope I’m not wrong, but I think degradation will create a much more exciting race, with different strategic options available,” Charles Leclerc said, as reported by Automoto.
Fred Vasseur added that it is easy to fall into strategic traps during a race and believes degradation and strategy will matter more on Sunday than qualifying performance. The wider technical picture can also be followed in the ScuderiaFans Ferrari technical analysis section.
McLaren’s low degradation comes with a straight-line limitation
McLaren delivered perhaps the biggest surprise in the degradation data. Its Soft tyre figure was almost neutral at -0.02 seconds per lap, although Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start fifth and sixth without any fresh Soft sets remaining.
Straight-line performance appears to be the main limitation. Lando Norris made clear that the qualifying result was consistent with the car’s current level.
“Starting fifth is not a surprise,” Lando Norris explained.
Oscar Piastri also considered qualifying reasonable without suggesting that the team’s underlying pace issue had disappeared.
“It was a decent session, but we’re still struggling for pace,” Oscar Piastri said.
Despite that assessment, Oscar Piastri’s Friday Soft long run was among the strongest of the field at 1:44.363.
Who has the strongest combination of position, pace and tyres?
No leading contender appears to possess every advantage. Max Verstappen has pole position and the strongest straight-line speed, but only one new Soft and one Hard. Lewis Hamilton starts alongside him and has greater Hard tyre flexibility, although Ferrari’s degradation remains a significant concern.
Charles Leclerc is unique among the leading contenders in retaining two new Soft sets, allowing Ferrari to consider shorter and more aggressive stints on his side of the garage.
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell both have competitive race pace but no fresh Soft tyres. McLaren has the lowest measured degradation and starts fifth and sixth, but lacks straight-line speed. Isack Hadjar begins from eighth with a Red Bull that treated the Medium tyre particularly well and could therefore give him opportunities to recover positions.
The likely result is a race with more plausible strategic scenarios than the starting grid alone suggests. At Sepang, position remains important, but tyre availability, degradation and pit-stop timing could carry equal weight once the lights go out.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton recreate rare qualifying combination at Sepang
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will line up first and second for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, recreating a Formula 1 qualifying order not seen since the dramatic 2021 title decider in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen secured pole at Sepang with Hamilton placing Ferrari alongside him on the front row.
The result marks the first time since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Verstappen has qualified on pole with Hamilton directly alongside him in second. Their rivalry has produced several shared front rows since they first became regular competitors at the front of Formula 1, but this particular order had disappeared for almost five years.
Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to Sepang pole
Verstappen controlled qualifying at Sepang to secure his first pole position of the 2026 season. It was also the first pole for Red Bull-Ford Powertrains, providing another landmark moment during Formula 1’s return to Malaysia.
Hamilton emerged as the closest challenger after finding a competitive operating window with the Ferrari. The seven-time world champion secured second place and another important front-row start for the Scuderia ahead of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
The two drivers bring an extraordinary combined record to the front row. Between them, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have accumulated 11 world championships, 177 Grand Prix victories, 341 podiums, 154 pole positions and 267 front-row starts.
For Lewis Hamilton, the result gives Ferrari another opportunity to challenge from the front of the grid during the closing stages of the 2026 season. For Verstappen, it ends his wait for a pole position this year.
First Verstappen-Hamilton P1-P2 order since Abu Dhabi 2021
The significance is not simply that Verstappen and Hamilton are sharing a front row again. They also did so at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, when Hamilton took pole by just 0.003 seconds from the Red Bull driver.
What makes Sepang different is the order. The previous occasion on which Verstappen started from pole with Hamilton second was the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the season finale in which their championship fight reached its conclusion.
Sepang therefore becomes the 15th Grand Prix at which the pair have occupied both front-row positions. Verstappen now holds an 8-7 advantage in terms of being the driver on pole when the two have shared the front row.
Every Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton shared front row
| Race | Pole | P2 |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore 2018 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| Germany 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| Abu Dhabi 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| Styria 2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| Russia 2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| Bahrain 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| Spain 2021 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| France 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| Styria 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| Britain 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| Netherlands 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| United States 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| Abu Dhabi 2021 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
| Hungary 2023 | Lewis Hamilton | Max Verstappen |
| Bahrain in Malaysia 2026 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton |
The sequence shows how heavily their shared front rows were concentrated around the peak of their rivalry in 2021. Six of the 15 occasions came during that season alone, including Bahrain, Spain, France, Styria, Britain, the Netherlands, the United States and Abu Dhabi.
After Hungary in 2023, however, another Verstappen-Hamilton front row did not arrive until Sepang. Their return to the first two grid positions therefore brings together two of Formula 1’s most successful drivers in a configuration that has become increasingly rare.
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia forms part of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, with Hamilton now giving Ferrari a front-row opportunity alongside Verstappen for the race at Sepang.
Jacques Villeneuve explains why Lewis Hamilton had extra reason to enjoy Sepang P2
Lewis Hamilton matched his best qualifying result of the 2026 Formula 1 season by securing second place on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, but Jacques Villeneuve believes another part of Saturday’s session carried particular importance for the Ferrari driver: finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc.
The Briton produced a 1:35.428 in Q3 at Sepang after setting the fastest middle-sector time of the session, putting the Ferrari on the front row. Max Verstappen was beyond reach at the top, however, as the Red Bull driver claimed pole with a 1:35.130.
It was the third time Hamilton had qualified second during 2026, following Barcelona and Hungary. However, a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri in Hungary prevented him from actually starting from P2 there, meaning Sepang will be only his second front-row start from that exact position this season. His strong qualifying performance in Spain proved especially valuable, with the Briton going on to secure his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari in Barcelona.
Lewis Hamilton beats Charles Leclerc in Sepang qualifying
While Hamilton’s front-row result was significant, Jacques Villeneuve focused heavily on the fact that he had also beaten his Ferrari team-mate. Charles Leclerc could manage only a 1:35.666 in Q3, leaving the Monegasque fifth on the grid and more than two tenths behind Hamilton.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Villeneuve argued that the pressure was primarily on Ferrari rather than its two drivers. Within the team’s internal contest, however, he believed Lewis Hamilton would take particular satisfaction from finishing ahead of Leclerc and considered that outcome important.
The result leaves the two Ferrari drivers level at 8-8 in their Grand Prix qualifying head-to-head this season. Their battle has remained extremely close, with neither driver establishing sustained dominance over the other.
Across the previous six rounds, only once had either Ferrari driver beaten the other in consecutive qualifying sessions. Hamilton achieved that sequence by finishing ahead of Leclerc in Hungary and the Netherlands, while Leclerc’s most recent run of consecutive victories in their qualifying duel came across Austria, Britain and Belgium, when he led the intra-team battle three times in succession.
Jacques Villeneuve explains Ferrari’s Sepang performance
Villeneuve also offered a technical interpretation of Ferrari’s performance at Sepang. He observed that the car was quick through the corners but gave away some performance on the straights, a balance that can be advantageous at certain circuits because it may help reduce tyre usage.
At a track where the car becomes more difficult to manage, however, Villeneuve suggested that the driver can be forced to compensate too much through the corners, reducing the overall benefit. He also stressed that simply producing more downforce does not automatically make a Formula 1 car faster.
According to the 1997 world champion, the usefulness of downforce depends partly on how consistently it can be accessed across changes in ride height. If a very small change in the car’s height causes the aerodynamic pressure balance to move significantly forwards or backwards, the result can be a more difficult car to drive. In those circumstances, Villeneuve argued that a car producing less peak downforce but behaving in a more predictable manner can ultimately deliver the faster lap.
Hamilton and Verstappen recreate a rare front-row combination
Sunday’s race will also bring together a familiar combination at the front of the grid. The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia marks the first occasion since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have qualified first and second respectively.
The event is being held at Sepang because Formula 1 could not race at Sakhir amid the situation in the Middle East. The championship does not currently expect those circumstances to prevent the later races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi from taking place. The Malaysian event forms round 16 of the 23-round 2026 Formula 1 season.
For Hamilton, the immediate opportunity is clear: a front-row start after one of his strongest qualifying performances of the year. Yet Villeneuve’s assessment also underlines another dimension of the result, with Ferrari’s closely contested qualifying battle now perfectly level as the season moves into its final phase.
Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen: where Ferrari lost Bahrain GP pole at Sepang
Ferrari secured second and fourth positions in qualifying for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, but Lewis Hamilton missed pole position despite producing one of his strongest laps since joining the Maranello team. A detailed comparison with Max Verstappen shows exactly where Ferrari gained through the corners and where Red Bull recovered the decisive time, while Charles Leclerc faced a very different problem with the balance of his SF-26.
Ferrari can approach the race with an attacking mindset after showing encouraging pace with fuel on board. The SF-26 has performed well in managing the extremely high tyre degradation seen in Malaysia, giving the team reason to believe it can remain competitive over the Grand Prix distance. The combination of qualifying telemetry and driver feedback, however, reveals why Lewis Hamilton could not convert Ferrari’s cornering advantage into pole and why Charles Leclerc struggled on his final lap.
Ferrari’s engine remains its main weakness in 2026
Ferrari’s biggest weakness this season continues to be its power unit, even after the ADUO updates helped recover approximately 20 horsepower. Expectations were higher at Sepang because the circuit layout rewards a strong front axle, an area where the SF-26 can perform well.
Once the cars arrived in Malaysia, another important characteristic became clear: tyre degradation was extremely high. That can help Ferrari further because the SF-26 has shown an ability to manage degradation effectively. A good qualifying balance combined with strong long-run pace therefore gives the Maranello team some hope of challenging for victory.
The tyre characteristics of the Malaysian venue also help explain why the weekend has looked more encouraging for Ferrari, as outlined in the analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit the SF-26 better than Baku.
Red Bull dominates the straights while Ferrari leads through the corners
Federico Albano’s analysis presents a very clear picture. Max Verstappen’s pole position and Isack Hadjar’s third-fastest qualifying time, before the latter received a five-place grid penalty, underline Red Bull’s competitiveness over a single lap.
The latest updates have made the RB22 more predictable and easier to understand, but the real turning point appears to be aerodynamic efficiency. The Milton Keynes car now loses relatively little across different types of corners before exploiting its biggest strength on the straights.
Low drag is particularly important under the 2026 regulations, where energy conservation and straight-line speed are fundamental performance factors. The telemetry illustrates the contrast very clearly.
Max Verstappen was slower than Lewis Hamilton through virtually every type of corner, from the slow Turn 1-2 sequence at around 80 km/h to the high-speed Turns 6 and 7 at approximately 250 km/h. The losses were generally small, often only fractions of a tenth, but Red Bull then recovered substantial amounts of time on the acceleration zones.
The combination of the Red Bull Ford power unit and an aerodynamically efficient car allows the RB22 to use relatively little energy while maintaining very high straight-line performance. That leaves Max Verstappen able to concentrate primarily on extracting the car’s pace and managing the tyres.
Readers can compare these characteristics in greater detail through the ScuderiaFans F1 Qualifying Telemetry & Corner Comparison.
Ferrari SF-26 was the strongest car through Sepang’s corners
FormulaPassion.it reached the opposite conclusion when looking specifically at cornering performance, describing the Ferrari as clearly the strongest car through both slow and fast sections.
“The data shows unequivocally that the SF-26 was the best car through the corners, both slow and fast, but also that it suffered enormously on every straight. The high-downforce design philosophy clearly helps, but it is also worth noting that the large amount of available downforce can be adjusted differently between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, as well as according to the circuit and environmental conditions, in order to achieve the balance the drivers want. The price to pay is clearly higher drag compared with rivals running less absolute downforce, as well as, of course, the engine side, where Ferrari’s power unit continues to show the enormous deficit seen this year.”
That trade-off has become one of the defining characteristics of the SF-26. Ferrari can generate excellent grip and lateral performance, but the advantage through the corners is often reduced or cancelled once straight-line efficiency and energy deployment become decisive.
More analysis of the car’s evolving technical characteristics can be found in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Lewis Hamilton produces one of his best Ferrari qualifying laps
Lewis Hamilton delivered an exceptional final lap to secure a front-row start. It was one of his strongest qualifying performances since arriving at Maranello, combining precise corner attacks with ideal racing lines and excellent use of the SF-26’s strengths.
The middle sector was particularly impressive. Lewis Hamilton made a substantial difference there even compared with Charles Leclerc, who lost around four tenths to his teammate through that section of the circuit.
The British driver was able to rely heavily on the lateral grip provided by the SF-26, carrying high speed through the fast corners and using more energy in those sections. His final corner was another strong reference, with an ideal line and a car that appeared extremely well balanced.
Ferrari was therefore clearly the strongest package through the corners, but its weakness on the straights once again became decisive. It is a pattern that has already appeared several times during the 2026 season.
The result also adds another important qualifying data point to the season-long Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari had too much front-end bias
Charles Leclerc faced a different problem. The Monegasque acknowledged that he had loaded the front axle too aggressively. As the track evolved, the resulting balance left the rear of the SF-26 increasingly unstable, reducing his confidence as qualifying progressed.
The question now is whether that characteristic could actually become less problematic during the race.
Federico Albano explained: “The positive feeling from the car encouraged him to search for even more front-end response, moving the SF-26 towards a more aggressive front balance, particularly through the front-wing incidence. The problem is that in 2026, even on a circuit such as Sepang, having a very solid rear end remains fundamental, and the Monegasque progressively lost confidence in the rear of the car as the session and his final lap developed, with the rear tyres inevitably overheating.”
Federico Albano added: “The issue should be manageable in the race, but the interesting question heading into it is whether, over the long run, the thermal load on the tyres will shift more towards the front. At that point, it could provide a significant advantage for the Monegasque.”
That makes Charles Leclerc’s race outlook particularly interesting. The aggressive front-end balance that hurt his confidence over one qualifying lap may behave differently across longer stints once fuel load, tyre temperatures and thermal distribution begin to evolve.
Ferrari has reasons for optimism ahead of the Sepang race
The qualifying picture therefore presents Ferrari with both a limitation and an opportunity. Lewis Hamilton demonstrated that the SF-26 can be the benchmark through the corners when its balance is fully exploited, while Charles Leclerc’s difficulties appear to have been linked more closely to the balance he pursued than to a fundamental lack of performance.
Red Bull still holds a major advantage in aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line performance, allowing Max Verstappen to recover the time he loses through the corners. Ferrari, meanwhile, must rely on its superior cornering grip and encouraging tyre management to stay competitive over the race distance.
With degradation extremely high at Sepang, the characteristics that prevented Ferrari from taking pole may become less dominant once the race begins. The central question is whether the SF-26 can preserve its tyres well enough to exploit its cornering strength and put sustained pressure on Max Verstappen over the longer runs.
F1 Bahrain GP strategy: why Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen may go three-stop at Sepang
The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang is expected to become a strategic race dominated by tyre degradation, with Pirelli identifying a two-stop strategy as the quickest option for most of the Formula 1 field. However, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc could face a different calculation after both used a set of Hard tyres during practice, potentially opening the door to a more aggressive three-stop race.
Sepang’s abrasive asphalt places considerable stress on the tyres, while Pirelli has brought the three middle compounds from its 2026 range to Malaysia: the C2 Hard, C3 Medium and C4 Soft. Taken together, those factors point towards two pit stops for much of the 22-car grid. The specific characteristics behind Ferrari’s tyre outlook were already examined in the analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit the SF-26.
Pirelli expects two stops for the Bahrain GP at Sepang
The circuit improved between Friday practice and qualifying. That was visible in the 1:35.1 lap with which Max Verstappen secured pole position in Q3, although the track still remained considerably slower than Pirelli had predicted.
Pirelli’s pre-event single-lap simulation produced an expected time of 1:33.2, leaving a difference of almost exactly two seconds compared with the actual pole time. One reason is that Sepang’s surface is providing approximately 5% less grip than anticipated.
Despite that difference, Pirelli continues to expect a two-stop race for almost every car. The broader weekend schedule and circuit characteristics can be found in the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang guide.
The two-stop, three-stint strategy is considered the fastest option in Pirelli’s simulations. There are two main variations: starting on the Medium before switching to two sets of Hard tyres, or starting on the Soft and then completing two stints on the Hard.
The second option takes advantage of the additional grip offered by the C4 Soft, something that has been evident since practice began in Malaysia.
“The fastest two-stop strategy should be medium-hard-hard, or soft-hard-hard, which is only two seconds slower,” Pirelli Motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi explained.
Why a three-stop strategy remains a realistic option
A three-stop race should not be dismissed, however. Pirelli’s simulations suggest that it would cost only around five seconds in effective race time compared with the fastest two-stop approach.
That margin could become smaller as grip levels improve, particularly because a driver committing to three stops would probably be able to use the softer part of the available compound range more frequently.
“The three-stop strategy could become an option for two reasons. First of all, in terms of total race time — sorry, effective race time — it is only five seconds slower than the two-stop strategy. Five seconds might seem like a lot, but with the track improving, that gap could become smaller because if you choose a three-stop strategy, you would probably choose the softer range of compounds,” Dario Marrafuschi said.
The different compound sequences and stint lengths during the Grand Prix can also be compared through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc face a different strategic choice
The second factor highlighted by Dario Marrafuschi concerns Max Verstappen, who will start from pole, and Charles Leclerc. Both drivers used a set of Hard tyres during FP3 and therefore no longer have that set available for the race.
That creates two broad possibilities. They can attempt to manage the pace carefully enough to extend their Medium or Soft stints, allowing them to complete a conventional two-stop race with fewer Hard tyres available, or they could seriously consider three stops and use the extra pit visit to maintain a more aggressive pace across four stints.
“The second element relating to the three-stop strategy is that we know at least two drivers, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, have already used a set of Hard tyres. Because the fastest two-stop strategy should be medium-hard-hard, or soft-hard-hard, which is only two seconds slower. Clearly, they have already used one set and therefore no longer have it available,” Dario Marrafuschi explained.
“This leads us to think that either they will be able to manage the pace with the Medium and Soft to achieve longer stints, or they are seriously considering a three-stop strategy using only one set of Hard tyres. So we think that, in any case, all three compounds will be used tomorrow because of this uncertainty over pace management and the risk of overheating and performance degradation. They will all be used.”
Soft and Medium degradation creates another Sepang option
Pirelli has also observed an important trend throughout the weekend: the degradation levels of the Soft and Medium compounds have not been dramatically different.
That could encourage some drivers to start on the Soft and exploit the additional grip provided by the C4 compared with the C3 Medium. If the difference in degradation remains relatively small, the extra initial performance of the softer tyre could make it an attractive opening-stint choice.
That decision will depend not only on outright tyre life but also on traffic, track position and how rapidly overheating develops. With several viable sequences available, Ferrari and its rivals will have multiple strategic routes to consider once the race begins.
The Hard tyre offers durability but costs around eight tenths
Relatively few drivers tested the Hard compound during the three practice sessions. However, Pirelli does not expect the C2 to present significant problems in terms of tyre life or degradation.
The compromise comes from outright performance. The Hard is expected to be considerably slower than the Medium.
“The C2 is a kind of guarantee in terms of durability and degradation, so I don’t think there will be any surprises from that point of view. Naturally, the pace is significantly slower. We expect it to be 0.8 seconds slower than the Medium. In any case, in our calculations, with this performance — slower on the first lap and taking its degradation into account — medium-hard-hard is actually the fastest option,” Dario Marrafuschi explained.
For Ferrari, the trade-off between tyre durability and outright pace will make stop timing particularly important. The evolution of the Scuderia’s race strategy can be compared through the Ferrari Pit Stop & Strategy Statistics.
Pirelli identifies the likely Bahrain GP pit stop windows
Dario Marrafuschi also provided indications of when the main pit-stop windows should open during the Grand Prix.
“The first pit-stop window would open on lap 12, while the second would be on lap 32. That means you can get at least 20 laps of performance from the Hard compound, which is a sufficiently good result.”
Those windows reinforce why the two-stop strategy remains Pirelli’s preferred solution. However, Sepang’s abrasive surface, lower-than-expected grip and relatively close Soft-to-Medium degradation leave enough uncertainty for alternative approaches to remain viable.
For Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in particular, the missing fresh Hard set creates an additional decision. They can prioritise tyre management and extend the softer compounds, or potentially accept another trip through the pit lane in exchange for shorter, faster stints. With only five seconds separating the predicted two-stop and three-stop race times, strategy could become one of the defining elements of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
Sepang qualifying telemetry: Ferrari strong in sector two but Red Bull leads
Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Bahrain GP qualifying at Sepang, but Ferrari emerged as Red Bull’s closest challenger as Lewis Hamilton produced an outstanding final lap to take second place. Isack Hadjar initially qualified third before a grid penalty changed the order, while Mercedes struggled to extract the full potential of its new package.
The numbers reveal considerably more than the final classification. Sector times, tyre usage and telemetry show where Red Bull built its advantage, why Lewis Hamilton was exceptionally quick through Sepang’s middle sector and how Ferrari approached qualifying differently from its rivals. The session also provided important clues ahead of a race in which tyre availability and degradation could become decisive. Full weekend timings and circuit information are available in the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
Max Verstappen takes his first pole of 2026
Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of 2026 with a 1:35.130, placing Lewis Hamilton second at 0.298 seconds, Isack Hadjar third at 0.428 and Kimi Antonelli fourth at 0.501. George Russell finished eighth, 0.741 seconds away from the benchmark.
For Max Verstappen, it was his first pole since last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and also the first pole of 2026 for a car not powered by a Mercedes engine.
“We’ve been trying for so many Grands Prix, sometimes getting closer and sometimes less so, but to achieve it after the way we started the season is really incredible,” Max Verstappen explained. Asked about his intentions for the race, the Dutch driver was clear: “When you start at the front, that’s the goal.”
Red Bull was rapid from Q1 through to Q3, while Ferrari showed its strongest performance through the central section of the lap. Mercedes endured a more complicated session as it continued trying to understand a newly introduced technical package.
The starting order changed after qualifying because Isack Hadjar received a five-place grid penalty for using a seventh internal combustion engine. The penalty dropped him to eighth and promoted Kimi Antonelli into third position.
Sepang track temperatures remain extreme
Conditions were almost unchanged from FP3. Air temperature remained between 32°C and 33°C, humidity hovered around 50% and there was no rain. The track reached 59°C at the beginning of Q1 before falling to 53.7°C by the end of Q3, producing an average of 55.8°C compared with 55.5°C during final practice.
The asphalt temperature had also remained remarkably consistent throughout the rest of the weekend, averaging 55.0°C in FP1 and 54.6°C in FP2. What did increase was grip.
Lap times progressively fell on Sepang’s abrasive surface, although not by as much as teams had expected. Pirelli motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi explained that the circuit improved during the day and allowed the Soft compound to perform well, but lap times remained significantly slower than the pre-event simulations had predicted.
Between Q1 and each driver’s best qualifying lap, the leading eight improved by between 1.06 seconds in Charles Leclerc’s case and 1.41 seconds for Kimi Antonelli. That improvement combined track evolution, fresh tyres and setup work, making it impossible to isolate precisely how much each factor contributed. The tyre characteristics that make Sepang particularly interesting for Ferrari are explored further in the analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit the SF-26.
Ferrari saves a set of Soft tyres in Q1
Max Verstappen immediately established the benchmark in Q1 with a 1:36.477, ahead of Lewis Hamilton by 0.118 seconds and Charles Leclerc by 0.253.
Ferrari took a different strategic approach from most of the field. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed only one attempt on Medium tyres, following the same route as Audi with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, while every other driver used the Soft compound.
The decision allowed Ferrari to preserve a fresh set of Soft tyres for Sunday’s race without paying a meaningful price in qualifying performance.
The Q1 elimination threshold was Arvid Lindblad’s 1:37.883, 1.406 seconds away from Max Verstappen. Nico Hülkenberg missed progression by only 0.087 seconds, with Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez also eliminated.
Nico Hülkenberg’s exit was particularly costly. Both the German driver and Alexander Albon locked a front tyre at Turn 14. Telemetry indirectly confirms the impact: on their best Q1 laps they recorded the lowest minimum speeds in that corner, at 80 km/h and 89 km/h respectively compared with approximately 105 km/h for the benchmark drivers.
The mistake cost Nico Hülkenberg around 0.44 seconds in a single corner. Without it, he would have progressed into Q2.
Kimi Antonelli loses a fresh Soft after Q2 lap deletion
Every driver switched to Soft tyres for Q2. Max Verstappen completed his first attempt in 1:35.696 and was followed by Kimi Antonelli at 0.263 seconds, Charles Leclerc at 0.274, Oscar Piastri at 0.324 and Lewis Hamilton at 0.336.
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso both received black-and-white flags for unnecessarily slow driving, although neither incident led to an investigation.
Gabriel Bortoleto established the Q2 cut-off at 1:36.814, 1.118 seconds away from the provisional pole time. Liam Lawson missed progression by 0.209 seconds and was joined by Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll. Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad, already destined to start from the rear, did not pursue a competitive time.
Kimi Antonelli’s session changed after his opening attempt. His 1:36.075 was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 6. The lap would only have placed him fifth and his progression was not under serious threat, but the deletion forced Mercedes to fit another new set of Soft tyres.
Kimi Antonelli then recorded a 1:35.959. The cost became important in Q3 because he had only one fresh set remaining.
Lance Stroll, meanwhile, collected two warnings for exceeding the maximum permitted time of 1:59.0 between the Safety Car lines, receiving one in Q1 and another in Q2.
Lewis Hamilton finds more than three tenths on his final Q3 lap
All the Q3 runners began on new Soft tyres and almost everyone completed two attempts. Max Verstappen opened with a 1:35.250 before finding another 0.120 seconds on his final run to secure pole with a 1:35.130.
Lewis Hamilton produced a much larger improvement. The Ferrari driver gained 0.317 seconds, moving from a 1:35.745 to a 1:35.428. Charles Leclerc improved by 0.212 seconds, Lando Norris by 0.225 and George Russell by 0.161.
Isack Hadjar was remarkably consistent, recording 1:35.558 and 1:35.559 on his two fresh sets. Oscar Piastri, by contrast, went 0.125 seconds slower on his second attempt.
Kimi Antonelli completed only one Q3 lap because Mercedes had only one new Soft remaining. The team sent the Italian driver out while the others were in the pits between their two attempts, giving him clear track. His 1:35.631 was completed at 16:56:48, more than three minutes before Max Verstappen’s final pole lap.
Traffic does not explain the final gaps. Track-position data shows that almost all of the decisive laps were effectively clear, with no more than 11% of lap time spent with another car less than three seconds ahead.
Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten with 1:37.210 and 1:37.673 respectively, both using previously used Soft tyres and finishing more than two seconds away from pole.
Bahrain GP starting grid changes after Isack Hadjar penalty
On qualifying times, the leading order was Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
After Isack Hadjar’s grid penalty, that sequence became Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Isack Hadjar.
Further back, Franco Colapinto loses 15 grid positions, while Arvid Lindblad is set to start last with a 30-place penalty.
Qualifying gains show who improved most at Sepang
Comparing each driver’s deficit to Max Verstappen from one qualifying segment to the next offers a clearer picture than the final classification alone.
In Q1, Lewis Hamilton was 0.118 seconds behind, Charles Leclerc 0.253, Oscar Piastri 0.375 and Isack Hadjar 0.421. The field compressed during Q2, with Kimi Antonelli 0.263 seconds away, Charles Leclerc 0.274, Oscar Piastri 0.324 and Lewis Hamilton 0.336.
Then Red Bull raised the level in Q3. Max Verstappen improved by 0.566 seconds between Q2 and Q3, Isack Hadjar by 0.634 and Lewis Hamilton by 0.604. Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and the two Mercedes drivers improved by between 0.258 and 0.416 seconds.
Only Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar therefore reduced their deficit to Max Verstappen during the final session. Everyone else lost between 0.15 and 0.31 seconds relative to the pole-sitter.
The difference was not caused by tyre availability because everyone used fresh rubber. Pirelli explained that degradation prevented drivers from producing another genuinely competitive lap on the same set, although that effect may have influenced different cars in different ways. Track evolution nevertheless appears to have helped the drivers as qualifying progressed.
The complete progression through Q1, Q2 and Q3 can be examined through the ScuderiaFans F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison.
Why Max Verstappen took Bahrain GP pole
The explanation for Max Verstappen’s pole lies mainly in the first and third sectors. The Red Bull driver set the fastest time in both, recording 24.504 seconds in sector one and 39.016 in sector three.
The middle sector told a completely different story. Lewis Hamilton produced a 31.201, more than two tenths faster than anybody else.
Adding each driver’s best individual sector times gives Max Verstappen an ideal lap of 1:34.976, 0.154 seconds faster than his actual pole lap. Lewis Hamilton’s ideal lap was 1:35.402, only 0.026 seconds quicker than the time he actually achieved. In other words, the Dutch driver theoretically had even more performance available.
The pattern against the rest of the field was consistent. In the first sector, every driver lost between 0.14 seconds for Lewis Hamilton and 0.33 for Lando Norris compared with the pole lap. In sector three, the losses ranged from 0.20 seconds for Charles Leclerc to 0.49 for Oscar Piastri.
The middle sector was much closer. Lewis Hamilton was approximately three tenths ahead, while Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris were separated by only a few hundredths.
Isack Hadjar closely matches Red Bull’s speed profile
Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull produced a very similar speed profile. Both cars reached 321 km/h at the end of the main straight, while his 0.428-second qualifying deficit was distributed almost equally between sectors one and three, at 0.240 and 0.234 seconds respectively.
Telemetry shows that Isack Hadjar left approximately two tenths between braking and corner entry at Turn 1, with slightly less time lost through Turns 14 and 15.
Detailed speed, braking and corner behaviour from qualifying can be explored in the ScuderiaFans F1 Qualifying Telemetry & Corner Comparison.
Ferrari’s middle sector belongs to Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton was the only driver who seriously threatened Max Verstappen, and he did so in the part of Sepang where Ferrari was strongest. His 31.201 was comfortably the fastest second-sector time, but the complete lap ended 0.298 seconds behind because the Ferrari lost 0.138 in sector one and 0.464 in sector three.
On the final straight, Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26 reached 301 km/h on his quickest lap, compared with 305–310 km/h on earlier attempts and 306 km/h for Max Verstappen.
The available information is not sufficient to establish whether that was the result of a deliberate choice or a limitation, but it does point towards a different energy-management profile.
Lewis Hamilton described a Saturday of continuous changes, with the SF-26 sliding and Ferrari making an intervention before qualifying. “I was losing four tenths on the straights, then came the miracle in the garage,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
Charles Leclerc lost more overall, finishing 0.536 seconds away from pole. His largest deficits came through the faster corners, with approximately 0.24 seconds lost between Turns 5 and 7 and another 0.15 between Turns 9 and 11.
In the final two slow corners, Turns 14 and 15, Charles Leclerc was actually slightly faster than Max Verstappen. Between approximately 1,800 and 2,300 metres into the lap, Lewis Hamilton averaged 255.8 km/h compared with 251.4 km/h for Charles Leclerc.
“I’m struggling with the rear,” Charles Leclerc said after qualifying, while Frédéric Vasseur described the Ferrari drivers as having completed two good laps and said Charles Leclerc had been on the defensive.
The contrasting performances of the two Ferrari drivers add another significant data point to their season-long Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
What telemetry reveals about Ferrari’s energy deployment
Battery behaviour is the most difficult element to interpret. State of Charge data is not publicly available, while the telemetry provides only speed, throttle, braking and gear information.
FIA Document 4 establishes the regulatory framework. During qualifying, every car may recover a maximum of 7.5 megajoules per lap, while MGU-K power can be reduced within specified sections of the circuit. What can be observed publicly is the effect this has on vehicle speed.
On the main straight, all eight leading cars lose between 4 and 6 km/h between approximately 300 and 450 metres despite remaining at 100% throttle. The reduction is similar across all of them. The differences appear elsewhere.
On their fastest laps, the Red Bull cars reached 321 km/h at the end of the main straight, compared with approximately 315–318 km/h for Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. On the back straight, however, McLaren recorded the highest top speeds at between 310 and 315 km/h.
The clearest difference appears in acceleration. On the back straight, Charles Leclerc accelerated at 4.21 m/s² between the 4,400- and 4,700-metre points, compared with 3.21 for Max Verstappen and 3.19 for Lewis Hamilton.
At 4,700 metres, Charles Leclerc was travelling at 311 km/h, compared with 304 km/h for Max Verstappen and 300 km/h for Lewis Hamilton. That could indicate more effectively managed electrical deployment, although it remains only a hypothesis based on the available data.
The speed differences can be compared through the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison, while further analysis of the SF-26 is available in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Lando Norris’s assessment also needs to be viewed with the same caution. “We lose on every straight, and it’s frustrating,” the McLaren driver said. Yet McLaren was among the slowest cars on the main straight and the fastest on the back straight, illustrating how much the picture changes depending on the section being examined.
Mercedes still searching for the window of its new package
Mercedes arrived at Sepang with seven updates, most of them concentrated around the floor and rear of the W17, but emerged from qualifying with fourth and eighth on the timing sheets before Isack Hadjar’s penalty altered the grid.
Kimi Antonelli had been quickest in FP3 with a 1:36.302. He improved that time by only 0.671 seconds in qualifying, the smallest gain among the leading eight. George Russell improved by 1.041 seconds, compared with 1.450 for Max Verstappen and 1.613 for Lewis Hamilton.
George Russell finished 0.741 seconds behind pole, with almost all of that loss coming in sectors one and three: 0.283 and 0.401 seconds respectively.
The British driver described Sepang as the most aggressive asphalt of the season and called it his worst qualifying performance of the year. “It feels like driving on gravel,” George Russell said, while admitting he could not explain exactly what had gone wrong. He nevertheless remained confident about the race and believed the podium remained open.
Kimi Antonelli pointed to his deleted lap, the resulting Q2 complication, heavy understeer and a new package that Mercedes still does not fully understand and which remains slightly outside its ideal operating window.
The Italian driver believed that, with a normal qualifying session, second or third would have been possible because Max Verstappen was simply too quick to challenge for pole. Kimi Antonelli also expects Mercedes to perform better in the race, supported by Friday’s long-run pace on both Soft and Medium tyres.
Who impressed elsewhere in Bahrain GP qualifying?
Behind Max Verstappen, one of the standout performers was Isack Hadjar. He produced almost identical Q3 laps of 1:35.558 and 1:35.559 on two new sets of tyres and progressed comfortably through the first two qualifying segments.
Isack Hadjar was satisfied with the car, even though he acknowledged that it had not been his best qualifying performance. Starting eighth after his penalty, he believes a recovery drive is possible.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were separated by only five thousandths of a second, recording 1:35.757 and 1:35.762 respectively. They will start fifth and sixth.
Pierre Gasly put Alpine ninth after finishing Q2 only 0.165 seconds behind George Russell, while Gabriel Bortoleto reached Q3 for Audi despite having no updates available.
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified 12th and 14th for Aston Martin, which brought no new parts and also had matters to discuss with the stewards. Williams and Cadillac remained towards the rear of the field.
Ferrari’s tyre advantage could matter on Sunday
The biggest consideration heading into the race is tyre availability. Charles Leclerc still has two new sets of Soft tyres, while Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton each have one.
Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have no fresh Soft sets remaining. Ferrari’s decision to complete Q1 on the Medium compound therefore gives the team an additional strategic option heading into a race in which degradation has been a significant concern throughout the weekend.
The Bahrain GP qualifying session has established the hierarchy over a single lap: Max Verstappen and Red Bull were strongest overall, while Lewis Hamilton extracted Ferrari’s biggest strength through the middle sector to secure a front-row start.
Whether the same order survives over a full race distance is a different question. Tyre degradation, remaining sets and long-run pace will now become more important than the outright qualifying performance that decided Saturday at Sepang.
Ferrari’s Sepang rear balance could become key as tyre degradation shapes Bahrain GP
Ferrari heads into the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang with rear tyre management emerging as one of the central technical factors that could shape its race. Red Bull has confirmed that it is firmly in contention, but the balance of performance seen over one lap may change considerably once the focus shifts to long-run pace, tyre degradation and strategy.
The Bahrain GP being held at the Malaysian circuit is expected to revolve heavily around strategy and the need to minimise tyre degradation, which has proved decisive throughout the weekend. Every team has clearly placed significant emphasis on race preparation, particularly given the difficulty of controlling tyre overheating and the relative ease of overtaking at Sepang.
The different technical characteristics of each car mean that some teams may have suffered this compromise more than others, with its effects particularly visible over a single qualifying lap. Ferrari’s own challenge centres heavily on the rear axle and whether the balance found with the SF-26 can become more effective over the race distance.
Ferrari searches for the right rear balance at Sepang
Ferrari has appeared particularly vulnerable at recent events whenever management of rear tyre temperatures has become decisive. That connects with the broader technical trend of the Scuderia using a relatively stiff setup in an attempt to keep its aerodynamic platform as stable as possible.
At Sepang, the nature of the circuit appears to reward that compromise more effectively, helping to explain why the Italian package has looked particularly competitive through the faster sections. The characteristics of the Malaysian circuit and its tyre demands had already made this an intriguing weekend for the SF-26, especially given why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit Ferrari better than Baku.
During Friday running, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc initially followed different setup directions before converging overnight after work in the simulator. As was also observed in Hungary, both Ferrari drivers tend to use more throttle during the various mid-corner phases than their rivals, particularly in medium-to-slow corners such as Turns 7, 11 and 14.
That characteristic reinforces the impression of a stiffer platform. The consequence is that the drivers need to use the available torque more aggressively to help rotate the car through the corner.
Brake components add another layer to Ferrari’s rear tyre challenge
One factor that has received less attention since the summer is Ferrari’s use of Carbone Industrie brake discs and pads while retaining Brembo brake calipers.
On paper, the Carbone Industrie components should offer an advantage over the Italian alternative at higher temperature ranges. On the SF-26, however, that change appears to have made thermal management of the rear axle more complex.
Combining that characteristic with the substantial torque delivered when the car accelerates out of corners creates a particularly difficult mix to manage. At the end of qualifying, Charles Leclerc explained that the rear of his car had begun to struggle after the first sector, highlighting just how narrow the balance window can become in that area.
The situation ultimately favoured the cleaner driving style produced by Lewis Hamilton during the decisive qualifying runs.
Why Charles Leclerc’s qualifying issue may not hurt Ferrari in the race
As Charles Leclerc indicated, however, the rear-end difficulty should not necessarily become a disadvantage in the race. The Monegasque had been searching for the limit of the SF-26 by changing the front-wing incidence rather than altering the underlying setup choices.
The combination of an aggressive approach through the first sector and a balance leaning further towards oversteer did not help him during qualifying. Over a longer race stint, however, the demands on the tyres and the car will change substantially.
The SF-26’s advantage was particularly evident on Lewis Hamilton’s lap whenever outright grip was required across a broad range of braking and mid-corner phases. Red Bull was well set up, but it did not appear to enjoy the same broad operating window as Ferrari through all these situations.
The comparison between the two Maranello drivers can also be followed through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Ferrari still pays heavily for its energy deficit
Energy remains an expensive weakness for Ferrari. The deficit accumulated by Max Verstappen in the power-limited zones compared with the SF-26 approached three to four tenths in the opposite direction once Red Bull’s energy advantage was taken into account.
Unfortunately, the absence of State of Charge data for the middle sector makes it difficult to isolate performance through the fastest corners, particularly Turns 5 and 6. In that section, the FIA allows an exception to the power-limited pending period, making the amount of available energy especially important.
During Lewis Hamilton’s second Q3 attempt, the British driver was 5 km/h slower on the straight towards Turn 15 than on his first run of the session. Compared with Charles Leclerc, the difference reached 14 km/h.
That was not the result of a technical problem. On his best lap, Lewis Hamilton appears to have been more aggressive with the throttle in several areas than during the first run, which led to a different energy-management profile being optimised in real time by the car’s software.
The straight-line differences throughout the weekend can be explored further through the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison.
FP3 offered encouraging signs for Ferrari’s race tyre management
During FP3, both Ferrari drivers completed two push runs on the same sets of Soft tyres, as did the rest of the field, remaining around three tenths away from the benchmark previously established.
At the end of his run, Lewis Hamilton highlighted over the radio how good the lap had felt. More importantly for the race, his stint suggested potentially better thermal management than some rivals, particularly at the rear axle.
There was still a compromise at the front of the car. In the first sector, under braking for Turn 1, Lewis Hamilton lost time to Max Verstappen in one of the relatively few grip-limited areas where the Dutch driver held an advantage.
Pirelli technician Simone Berra had already pointed out that teams were likely to favour setups biased towards rear stability in order to protect the rear tyres from the high degradation expected during the race.
That approach can leave the front axle slightly outside its ideal operating window through Turns 1, 2 and 3 because of the two preceding straights. This also connects with the decision by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to progressively add clicks of front wing as the session developed. While that is a normal adjustment during practice and qualifying, its significance needs to be understood within the specific thermal conditions at Sepang.
The race should provide a much clearer answer. The compound behaviour and stint evolution can also be followed through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Red Bull improves its balance after latest upgrades
Red Bull appears to have taken an important step forward in drivability following the updates introduced across Baku and Sepang. The RB22 remains extremely efficient on the straights, following a development philosophy that in some respects resembles Mercedes.
The car’s operating window now appears easier for the drivers to manage, even if it still does not deliver its maximum performance across every corner-speed range.
In the slow sections, with the exception of the approaches to Turns 1 and 14, Max Verstappen had not looked particularly incisive earlier in the weekend. That weakness became less visible in qualifying, partly because the additional grip provided by the Soft tyre helped mask any underlying mechanical limitation.
Mercedes struggles to understand its major update
Mercedes, meanwhile, is still struggling to find the correct balance after introducing its major update package. The revised W17 shifts the centre of pressure towards the rear, producing understeer that troubled the team throughout much of the weekend and making the car particularly reluctant to rotate through Sepang’s slower sections.
During the overnight work at Brackley, engineers explored several different adjustments. By Saturday morning, the balance had moved far enough in the opposite direction for the car to suffer excessive oversteer instead.
Following George Russell’s comments on Friday, it would not be surprising if the engineers had reduced some aerodynamic load in an attempt to combat tyre overheating, which was inevitably masking some of the progress brought by the extra downforce.
Kimi Antonelli explained the difficulty particularly clearly, highlighting how complicated it is to identify the ideal operating window of a new package in conditions such as those encountered in Malaysia, combining abrasive asphalt with unusual temperatures.
The Italian driver could still become a factor during the race, helped by a rear end that has remained extremely stable. Mercedes’ losses, however, also extend to aerodynamic efficiency, with the additional downforce inevitably producing increased induced drag.
Strategy and energy management could transform the Sepang race
The Bahrain Grand Prix therefore promises to be particularly interesting from a strategic perspective. The maximum recharge limit per lap will increase to 8.5 MJ from the 7.5 MJ permitted in qualifying, requiring a more controlled approach to energy management.
Running in clean air will also be important because tyre overheating should be relatively easy to trigger when following another car. That makes track position and the ability to control temperatures potentially decisive factors for Ferrari, Red Bull and the other leading teams.
The strategic options remain numerous, with uncertainty still surrounding whether the optimum race will require one stop or two. For Ferrari, the key question is whether the SF-26’s rear balance and broader grip window can become an advantage once the race shifts the focus away from pure qualifying performance and towards tyre preservation, energy management and long-run consistency.
More technical coverage of the SF-26 and Ferrari’s evolving setup characteristics is available in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Ferrari finds its Sepang strength as Lewis Hamilton sends heartfelt message to Maranello
Lewis Hamilton was delighted after qualifying on the front row at Sepang, dedicating Ferrari’s second-place result to the mechanics and engineers working both at the circuit and back at the Maranello factory. Despite the SF-26’s power and straight-line-speed deficit to Red Bull, Ferrari’s strength through the corners and an exceptional lap from the seven-time world champion helped the team find the final tenths needed to secure second on the grid.
If one emotion could describe Lewis Hamilton after qualifying in Malaysia, it would be happiness. That second place, around three tenths away from pole position, represented far more than an individual result for the British driver. It reflected the work carried out by Ferrari’s technicians at the track and at Maranello as they continue trying to improve the SF-26 during a season in which the team has also had to deal with considerable negativity from outside.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari build their lap very differently from Red Bull
The qualifying result highlighted two very different ways of producing lap time. Red Bull was particularly effective through the slower sections and, above all, on the straights, an area where the car performs strongly when the FIA permits a favourable amount of electrical energy, measured in megajoules, to be deployed.
Ferrari followed almost the opposite route. The SF-26 made its biggest difference through the fast section of the second sector, where Lewis Hamilton actually set the benchmark time. It was another indication of something that has repeatedly emerged during the 2026 season: Ferrari possesses a strong chassis, while the bigger weakness remains the power unit.
The contrast can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison, particularly on a weekend when Ferrari’s losses on the straights have been so clearly balanced against its performance through the corners.
Behind the scenes, work is continuing to improve the Ferrari power unit for next year. The same broad theme was also visible at Sepang with Audi and Aston Martin. Both the Hinwil and Silverstone teams are regarded as having competitive chassis, while their engines remain a limiting factor. Even so, the R26 reached Q3, while both AMR26 cars progressed into Q2, further demonstrating how clearly chassis quality emerged around the Malaysian circuit.
Lewis Hamilton dedicates Ferrari’s front row to the team
“I didn’t expect to be on the front row, but it’s really a great reward for the mechanics. Everyone is working so hard in these hot garages throughout the whole weekend. The mechanics and engineers have also done a really excellent job,” Lewis Hamilton explained after qualifying, underlining both the unexpected nature of the result and the amount of work required behind the scenes to find those crucial tenths.
The British driver then told Sky: “There are so many people working together in this sport to be in sync. The target is almost invisible and what is visible moves at the speed of light, so it’s difficult to reach it. For us, this is a huge result.”
His thoughts then turned specifically to the staff working at Ferrari’s Maranello base.
“I want to sincerely thank the team at the factory, because all that negativity affects them more than it affects us. They are the ones who turn up every day and give everything they have. We are not where we want to be, but we cannot blame them after all the hard work they are putting in.”
For Lewis Hamilton, the work taking place behind the scenes also extends beyond the immediate development of the current SF-26.
“There are things we don’t even know about. They are doing so much work to upgrade the power unit for next year. There has already been a huge improvement compared with last year. Last year we weren’t fighting for the front row, we weren’t fighting for victories, so we have to keep working.”
Ferrari’s development direction and the technical characteristics behind the SF-26 can be followed further in the ScuderiaFans Ferrari technical analysis section.
Ferrari finally extracts the final tenths in qualifying
The satisfaction of the seven-time world champion was unmistakable. It also came at an important moment for Ferrari after several disappointing recent results, particularly in qualifying. The shortage of engine power had certainly played a role, but there had also been clear difficulties in extracting the final tenths of performance from the tyres.
At Sepang, Lewis Hamilton succeeded in doing exactly that. Charles Leclerc described his teammate’s lap as superb, and there was good reason for that assessment. The British driver managed the sections where he needed to attack and those where tyre management was required exceptionally well, finding the confidence through the second sector to exploit the SF-26’s aerodynamic load and one of Ferrari’s greatest strengths in Malaysia.
The qualifying result also adds another significant chapter to the season-long comparison between Ferrari’s two drivers, which can be followed through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Lewis Hamilton warns Ferrari must manage Sepang tyre degradation
Despite the encouraging front-row result, Lewis Hamilton remains cautious about Ferrari’s race prospects.
“I think I can be very happy with today. In the last race we weren’t quick in the race, so I don’t know what our pace will be tomorrow. What I do know is that we have this top-speed deficit. Basically, it means that we are slightly quicker in the corners, but then we lose a lot on the straights.”
That trade-off becomes particularly important at Sepang because tyre degradation is so severe. Ferrari must use its cornering performance to compensate for what it loses in a straight line, but pushing harder through the corners inevitably places more stress on the tyres.
“On a track like this, where degradation is extremely high and the tyres are constantly heating up, we have to push harder through the corners to try to compensate for what we lose on the straights. That’s exactly what we need to be careful not to overdo tomorrow, so that we don’t degrade the tyres too much and can try to stay ahead.”
Tyre behaviour has been one of the central Ferrari themes throughout the Sepang weekend, with the characteristics of the Malaysian circuit potentially giving the SF-26 a different opportunity compared with recent events. The reasons behind that possibility were already examined in detail in the analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit Ferrari better than Baku.
Lewis Hamilton sees an opportunity if Ferrari can lead at the start
Ferrari has generally looked more convincing over longer runs than over a single qualifying lap. Lewis Hamilton nevertheless believes Max Verstappen may possess enough race pace to pull away if Red Bull is able to control the Grand Prix from the front.
The situation could change significantly if the British driver manages to take the lead at the start, even though he will begin from the dirtier side of the grid. From there, Ferrari’s ability to manage its tyres while exploiting the SF-26’s cornering strength could become crucial.
“I think we’ll just have to run our own race, whatever the pace is, without focusing too much on pushing beyond the limit just to stay attached. I think Max generally has the pace to pull away, but if things are different at the start and we can stay there and be in the fight, that would be fantastic. We can only do our best, and tomorrow I’ll give everything.”
For Ferrari, second on the grid therefore represents both an unexpectedly strong qualifying result and a reward for the work being carried out across the team. Lewis Hamilton’s lap demonstrated how competitive the SF-26 can be when its cornering performance is fully exploited, but the race will demand a delicate balance between using that strength and protecting the tyres from the heavy degradation expected at Sepang.
Ferrari SF-26 fastest in Sepang corners but Red Bull straight-line speed wins pole
Sepang delivered a revealing qualifying session on a circuit that finally made it possible to read the strengths and weaknesses of the 2026 Formula 1 cars in detail. Max Verstappen produced an outstanding pole position for Red Bull, while Lewis Hamilton secured an excellent front-row start for Ferrari after one of his strongest qualifying laps since joining Maranello. The technical data showed an unusually clear contrast: the Ferrari SF-26 was the strongest car through the corners, while Red Bull recovered an enormous amount of time through efficiency and straight-line speed.
The Malaysian circuit proved particularly demanding on the tyres. Its complete layout, combined with an ageing and relatively low-grip surface, increased sliding, while track temperatures approaching 60°C made keeping the tyres inside an acceptable operating window extremely difficult. That challenge had already emerged during the weekend, with Charles Leclerc highlighting Sepang’s high tyre degradation before qualifying.
Max Verstappen takes pole as Red Bull efficiency stands out
Max Verstappen produced a superb pole position, while Isack Hadjar’s third place confirmed just how competitive Red Bull was over a single lap. The progress made by the Milton Keynes car following its latest updates appears increasingly clear, with the RB22 seemingly recovering a more understandable and consistent personality.
It is not a car perfectly optimised for every corner, nor is it necessarily the strongest in every phase of the lap. However, its behaviour has become more coherent and predictable. That allows the drivers to understand more clearly what to expect from the car and, as a consequence, reduces the likelihood of mistakes.
The real key, however, is aerodynamic efficiency. Red Bull now appears capable of giving away relatively little time across almost every type of corner before producing impressive speed through the acceleration zones. Drag appears extremely low and, under the 2026 regulations, that remains one of the fundamental performance factors.
The data makes the contrast particularly clear. Compared with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen was slower through virtually all of Sepang’s corners, from the slow Turn 1-2 complex at around 80 km/h to the very fast sequences approached at roughly 250 km/h. Crucially, however, those losses were generally limited to fractions of a tenth. Red Bull then recovered dramatically on the straights, where the RB22 held a clear advantage over Ferrari.
The strong Red Bull Ford power unit, combined with aerodynamics capable of producing very high top speeds and lower energy consumption, gives Max Verstappen a package well suited to the demands of the current regulations. It leaves the Dutch driver to concentrate on one of his traditional strengths: extracting speed while controlling tyre behaviour effectively. His encouraging long-run picture had already emerged on Friday, when Max Verstappen’s race simulation changed the outlook for Ferrari at Sepang.
Ferrari is the benchmark through Sepang’s corners
Ferrari leaves qualifying with Lewis Hamilton on the front row and several highly encouraging technical indications. The data shows clearly that the SF-26 was the strongest car through the corners, both at low speed and high speed, while simultaneously suffering heavily through virtually every significant acceleration zone.
The high-downforce design philosophy clearly helps Ferrari in the corners. At the same time, the amount of available downforce can be adjusted differently between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton and adapted to the circuit conditions to provide the balance each driver wants. The downside is greater aerodynamic resistance compared with rivals running lower absolute downforce levels.
There is also the power-unit side of the equation, where Ferrari continues to show a significant deficit this season. The combination explains why the SF-26 could repeatedly gain time through the technical sections and then lose much of that advantage again once the cars were accelerating at full speed. More analysis of the car’s evolving strengths and weaknesses can be found in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Lewis Hamilton delivers his best Ferrari qualifying lap
Lewis Hamilton produced an exceptional qualifying performance to put Ferrari on the front row. His final lap was probably the best complete qualifying lap he has delivered since arriving at Maranello, combining excellent tyre management, precise corner attacks and well-chosen racing lines whenever more than one approach was available.
The seven-time world champion was particularly impressive through the high-speed corners of the middle sector. Even compared directly with Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton’s performance in that section stood out, with the Monegasque losing around four tenths to his teammate there.
Lewis Hamilton was carrying so much speed through the fast corners, relying heavily on the SF-26’s lateral grip, that Ferrari could use more electrical energy through that part of the lap than on previous attempts. The consequence was that he then had to surrender something on the final straight. His line through the last corner was also particularly clean, with the car appearing exceptionally well balanced.
In pure cornering performance, Ferrari was unquestionably the strongest car in qualifying. Its substantial losses came once the SF-26 reached the straights. The result also adds another significant qualifying reference point to the season-long Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Charles Leclerc goes too aggressive at the front
Charles Leclerc followed a slightly different development path from his teammate. The positive feeling provided by the car encouraged him to search for even more front-end response, pushing the SF-26 towards a more aggressive front balance, particularly through the front-wing setting.
The difficulty is that, even at a circuit such as Sepang, maintaining a very stable rear end remains fundamental with the 2026 cars. As qualifying progressed, Charles Leclerc gradually lost confidence in the rear of the Ferrari, and the problem became increasingly apparent during his final lap as the rear tyres progressively overheated.
That issue should be more manageable over the race distance. The interesting question is whether the thermal load during the longer stints will shift more towards the front tyres. If it does, the balance chosen by Charles Leclerc could ultimately provide an advantage over a longer run. The latest Ferrari developments and weekend updates surrounding the Monegasque are also available in the dedicated Charles Leclerc section.
Mercedes is qualifying’s most interesting technical case
Mercedes was perhaps the most interesting technical case of the session. The latest updates have clearly produced additional aerodynamic load, and the W17 has become extremely competitive through high-speed corners. However, that additional load appears to have moved the centre of pressure even further towards the rear of the car.
That may also have been intended to allow Mercedes to exploit progressively higher power levels during the final part of the season. The problem is that the resulting balance has weakened the front end too much, particularly in slow corners, unless the team adopts setup choices that become too extreme to function effectively across the whole lap.
The increased downforce has also brought additional drag, affecting the W17’s energy balance. That is an especially important consideration under the 2026 regulations. The Brackley engineers appeared to struggle with deployment optimisation to such an extent that they even experimented with a different strategy midway through Q2, significantly reducing energy use in the first sector so that more could be deployed later in the lap.
It was therefore no coincidence that neither Kimi Antonelli nor George Russell improved through the opening sector after the middle of Q2. Kimi Antonelli should still be a significant factor in the race, but for the moment the updates appear to have altered the W17’s balance more than they have delivered a clear overall performance step. The main question is how quickly Mercedes can rebuild an effective compromise around the new package.
McLaren loses time under braking
McLaren, by contrast, did not impress over a single qualifying lap. The car did not appear particularly strong in any specific type of corner, while the most obvious weakness emerged under braking.
Looking at the development of the lap-time deficit, the pattern resembled a staircase: almost every major braking zone produced another step of lost time. That is significant because it suggests a broader difficulty in the car’s approach to corner entry rather than one isolated problem at a specific part of the circuit.
It also continues the trend seen in Baku with the new package, which for the moment appears to be making the Woking car more difficult to manage. It remains unclear how important that weakness will become in the race, however, because McLaren had shown much more convincing tyre management during the long runs on the previous days.
The Sepang race could produce a very different picture
Max Verstappen will start from pole position and, considering Friday’s simulations as well, enters the race with a strong underlying picture. However, the Grand Prix could develop very differently from qualifying.
Tyre degradation is extremely high, a two-stop strategy appears almost certain, and the drivers near the front of the grid have several different tyre combinations available. Lewis Hamilton in particular could adopt a very aggressive approach from the start, while Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren may begin to behave very differently as the stints become longer.
That should open the door to numerous strategic possibilities. Sepang has finally produced a qualifying session in which car engineering, driver performance and aerodynamic efficiency could all be examined clearly. After Ferrari demonstrated the SF-26’s cornering potential and Red Bull showed the value of efficiency on the straights, the race promises to provide an equally revealing test.
Ferrari SF-26 analysis: how Lewis Hamilton secured second in Bahrain GP qualifying
Lewis Hamilton delivered a superb final Q3 lap to put Ferrari on the front row for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, while Charles Leclerc had to settle for fifth after struggling to extract the same level of performance from the SF-26. The result gave the Scuderia a welcome boost after FP3 had suggested Ferrari had taken a step backwards relative to its rivals.
During final practice, Ferrari had watched the opposition make progress without being able to match that improvement. Charles Leclerc ended the session fifth, but qualifying produced a very different outcome for Lewis Hamilton, whose final lap ultimately secured second place on the grid.
Ferrari saves a set of Soft tyres in Q1 at Sepang
Ferrari opened qualifying with both SF-26 cars leaving the pit lane on the yellow-marked Medium tyres. It was a compound on which the car could perform competitively, although getting the rubber into the correct operating window remained important. The Sepang layout naturally helped with tyre activation, allowing the drivers to complete a relatively controlled out-lap before attacking at full throttle.
The first attempts again revealed the SF-26’s tendency towards excessive rotation. That characteristic helped the car on corner entry but created difficulties when Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc returned to the throttle during acceleration. Turn 14 was particularly demanding in this respect.
Despite that behaviour, Ferrari placed second and third on the Mediums while most of its rivals had used Soft tyres. The times were comfortably good enough to reach Q2, allowing both cars to remain in the garage until the end of the session. Crucially, Ferrari therefore preserved a fresh set of Soft tyres for later in qualifying.
Q2 exposes Ferrari’s difficulty with the Soft compound
The situation changed in Q2 when both Ferrari drivers switched to Soft tyres. The compound offered greater overall grip, but it was also more difficult for the SF-26 to exploit because of its narrower operating window, a characteristic already apparent during FP3. The wider tyre context at Sepang had also been an important theme heading into the weekend, with the circuit characteristics potentially influencing how Pirelli’s compounds suited the Ferrari SF-26.
After the warm-up phase, the Ferrari pit wall informed the drivers that the track temperature had fallen by one degree. Neither first attempt was perfect. Both drivers had to open their lines on several occasions because of the car’s excessive rotation, costing valuable lap time and underlining the need to find a more precise handling balance.
Charles Leclerc was nevertheless fastest through the second sector, while Lewis Hamilton lost around 0.060 seconds to his team-mate in that part of the lap. After a brief return to the pits to study the telemetry, the Briton went back out on used Soft tyres with an adjustment to the brake balance. The lap was cleaner, but he did not improve because the scrubbed tyres no longer offered the additional grip available from a fresh set.
Lewis Hamilton delivers when Ferrari reaches Q3
Q3 revealed the true competitive picture. Ferrari had clearly been forced into compromises even though the overall setup window did not appear particularly poor. Some performance limitations remained, while Red Bull and McLaren had also introduced upgrades across the previous two championship rounds.
During the out-lap, both Ferrari drivers were instructed to use a tighter line through Turn 2, which was not straightforward given the SF-26’s oversteering balance. Charles Leclerc handled that particular phase better, although Lewis Hamilton was considerably faster once the timed lap developed.
The seven-time world champion needed to improve his exits from Turns 2 and 11, while Charles Leclerc had more to find through Turns 5 and 6. Both were also being asked to carry greater speed through Turn 7.
Lewis Hamilton made the decisive difference in the second sector, setting the fastest time there and gaining two tenths over his team-mate. Ferrari’s biggest deficit to its rivals instead appeared in the opening sector. The complete gaps can be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 qualifying pace and sector comparison.
Lewis Hamilton maximises the SF-26 as Charles Leclerc settles for fifth
After a quick stop, Ferrari sent both cars back onto the track with fresh Soft tyres. Lewis Hamilton then produced his best lap of the session, extracting the maximum from the SF-26 and securing second place on the front row.
Charles Leclerc, by contrast, could not find the key to maximising the car in the final phase. The Monegasque finished fifth, more than a tenth and a half behind his team-mate, leaving the two Ferrari drivers with very different outcomes from the same qualifying session. Their evolving season comparison can also be followed through the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton season comparison.
Even so, Ferrari had managed to dispel many of the concerns raised by FP3. On a historic circuit such as Sepang, the front-row result provided the team with significant relief. Lewis Hamilton was visibly delighted over the radio after completing the lap and celebrated the second-place result almost as enthusiastically as a pole position.
Fred Vasseur calls for end to Ferrari rumours after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc support
Fred Vasseur has called for an end to the rumours surrounding Ferrari, insisting that the Scuderia must continue acting as one team through both its positive and difficult moments. The Ferrari team principal addressed the situation after receiving explicit support from Lewis Hamilton and, in particular, Charles Leclerc during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend.
The past few days have not been straightforward for Fred Vasseur. Christian Horner putting himself forward and Ferrari’s disappointing results in recent Grands Prix have increased the pressure around the French manager, but both Ferrari drivers publicly backed him at Sepang. Charles Leclerc was especially emphatic in defending the team principal and reiterating his confidence in him.
The situation comes amid wider discussion over Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari future ahead of the crucial 2027 season, while the recent speculation around Christian Horner has also added to the scrutiny surrounding the team’s management structure.
Fred Vasseur wants Ferrari to move beyond rumours and gossip
Speaking to Sky Sport F1 after qualifying in Malaysia, where Lewis Hamilton secured a front-row start and Charles Leclerc qualified on the second row, Fred Vasseur also addressed the delicate situation he has faced within Ferrari.
“The support from Charles and Lewis? Yes, but it is not only Charles or Lewis defending me, or me defending them,” Fred Vasseur said. “I think we need to stop with all the rumours, all the gossip. We are working as a team, in the good moments and the bad moments.”
“Today it was not only Lewis, it was the whole team that achieved a good result. And when we suffer, in that case too, it is the whole team suffering together. So we have to act together, as a team, without feeding the system.”
The comments underline Fred Vasseur’s desire to keep the focus on collective responsibility rather than individual figures as Ferrari works through a difficult period. Recent uncertainty around the leadership structure has already fuelled discussion over Ferrari’s communication issues amid the Christian Horner rumours, making the French manager’s call for unity particularly significant.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc close ranks around Ferrari
The support from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc arrived during a weekend in which Ferrari also enjoyed an encouraging qualifying result. Lewis Hamilton placed the car on the front row, while Charles Leclerc secured a second-row starting position, offering the team a stronger sporting backdrop after its recent difficulties.
Fred Vasseur nevertheless made clear that he does not see Ferrari’s successes or setbacks as belonging to one driver, manager or department. His message was that the entire organisation shares both the credit when results improve and the responsibility when performance falls short.
That emphasis on collective responsibility also follows renewed debate over Ferrari’s leadership, with the team having previously backed Fred Vasseur amid questions about his position.
Fred Vasseur jokes about the hardest part of the Ferrari job
Despite the pressure surrounding his position, Fred Vasseur ended the discussion with the dry humour that has often characterised his public appearances. Asked what the hardest part of being Ferrari team principal was, the French manager replied: “The interviews when it is 50 degrees.”
The remark provided a lighter ending to a serious message from the Ferrari team principal: the Scuderia intends to remain united internally, avoid fuelling speculation and approach both strong and difficult weekends as a single team.
Fred Vasseur tempers Ferrari optimism after Lewis Hamilton front row at Sepang
Ferrari secured an unexpectedly strong front-row start at Sepang thanks to Lewis Hamilton, but Fred Vasseur has warned that qualifying position may matter less than tyre degradation once the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix gets under way.
Lewis Hamilton claimed second place in Q3, finishing almost three tenths behind an untouchable Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver appeared out of reach for the rest of the field, but the seven-time world champion still managed to beat the other Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, championship leader Kimi Antonelli and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Fred Vasseur pleased with Ferrari qualifying but keeps expectations in check
Lewis Hamilton’s result was welcomed by Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, although the French manager was quick to temper expectations ahead of the race, pointing to tyre degradation as the factor that could ultimately shape the Grand Prix.
“Without a doubt it was a good qualifying session,” Fred Vasseur told Sky Sport F1. “I think Max was flying from the beginning of the weekend, so it was difficult for us. But overall we put together two good laps.”
The emphasis on race degradation is particularly important at Sepang, where Ferrari had already been looking closely at how the circuit characteristics and Pirelli tyre compounds could affect the SF-26 over longer runs.
Charles Leclerc left on the defensive after Turn 5 mistake
Fred Vasseur also addressed Charles Leclerc’s less convincing qualifying result. The Monegasque is set to start from the second row only because of Isack Hadjar’s grid drop, having struggled to extract the same level of performance as his team-mate.
“Charles was a little on the defensive, especially after the mistake on the previous lap at Turn 5,” Fred Vasseur explained. “Overall it was a good session, but degradation will matter a lot and the way the race develops will be more decisive than the qualifying position. Still, I prefer to start from the front rows.”
Tyre degradation expected to shape Ferrari’s Bahrain GP race
For Ferrari, the central question now shifts from one-lap pace to how the SF-26 manages its tyres over a full race stint. That uncertainty is significant because the teams did not have enough time to build a clear picture of long-run degradation during practice.
“I think the most important thing is the race,” Fred Vasseur continued. “We all know that degradation will be high. It is quite difficult to understand the tyres and the degradation over a long stint because we did not have the time to try it.”
The tyre picture can also be followed through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis, which provides a broader view of compound use and stint trends.
Ferrari therefore leaves qualifying with a strong starting position but no certainty that Saturday’s performance will translate directly into race pace. Lewis Hamilton has put the team on the front row, yet Fred Vasseur’s message is clear: managing degradation and understanding how the race evolves will be more important than the grid position alone.
Lewis Hamilton gives Ferrari reason to believe again after stunning Sepang Q3 lap
Lewis Hamilton has given Ferrari some much-needed breathing room. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion produced a superb final Q3 lap to secure a front-row start for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, a result that had looked far from guaranteed before qualifying at Sepang.
Lewis Hamilton’s late surge partly disguised the SF-26’s deficit to its rivals, although pole-sitter Max Verstappen still finished almost three tenths clear — a significant margin at this level. The complete classification can be found in the 2026 Bahrain GP qualifying results from Sepang. Even so, second place gives Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari team an opportunity to breathe again and, perhaps, to contemplate a very different Sunday in which it can genuinely fight near the front and challenge for the podium.
What is certain is that the performance at Sepang restored confidence and determination for the 41-year-old British driver. After the chequered flag in Q3, Lewis Hamilton celebrated over team radio and allowed himself a liberating “finally” after a period that had been anything but straightforward.
Lewis Hamilton hails Ferrari after Bahrain GP qualifying
“This is a huge result for us,” Lewis Hamilton told Sky after the chequered flag in Q3. “And I don’t think anyone can even come close to understanding how difficult it is. It really is so difficult. There are so many people working together in this sport, trying to be in sync towards a goal that is almost always invisible and, when it is visible, it moves at the speed of light. That’s why it is so difficult to reach.”
“I really want to thank the people at the factory, because all that negativity affects them more than it affects us, because they are the ones who turn up at the office every day and have to give everything they have every day.”
The Ferrari driver was equally clear that one strong qualifying result does not mean the team’s wider work is complete.
“We’re not where we should be,” Lewis Hamilton added. “But we can’t blame them, considering all the huge effort they’re putting in. There are things we don’t even see, but there is definitely a tremendous amount of work going on at the factory to upgrade the power unit for next year, and there is already an improvement compared with last year.”
“Last year we weren’t fighting for the front row, we weren’t fighting for victories… We have to keep trying to work as much as possible.”
Lewis Hamilton identifies the SF-26 chassis as Ferrari’s key strength
Lewis Hamilton also highlighted what he believes could become one of the decisive elements of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang: the balance between Ferrari’s cornering performance and its straight-line deficit.
“I think the situation is that our car has a great chassis. In particular, we have a great chassis. We also have a good engine, but the chassis is our strength. Our aerodynamic package is very good, so we tend to be a little faster through the corners, while then we lose on the straights,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
That contrast will be particularly important around Sepang, where the SF-26’s performance through the corners has to compensate for what Ferrari gives away on the faster sections. The relative gains and losses from qualifying can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 qualifying pace and sector comparison.
For Ferrari, the front-row result therefore represents more than an isolated highlight. Lewis Hamilton’s final Q3 lap has put the team in a far stronger position for the Grand Prix and provided a timely boost after a difficult period, even if the gap to Max Verstappen shows that Ferrari still has work to do.
Charles Leclerc praises Lewis Hamilton after Ferrari qualifying defeat but targets Sepang podium
Charles Leclerc believes a podium remains within Ferrari’s reach at Sepang despite qualifying fifth and finishing behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who secured second place. The Monegasque admitted that he failed to anticipate how the circuit would evolve through qualifying, while praising Lewis Hamilton for putting together an excellent lap.
Charles Leclerc will nevertheless start the Bahrain Grand Prix from fourth position because Isack Hadjar must serve an engine penalty. The Ferrari driver ended qualifying around half a second behind Max Verstappen’s pole time and almost two and a half tenths behind Lewis Hamilton. The result adds another chapter to the season-long Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton head-to-head comparison.
Charles Leclerc praises Lewis Hamilton after Sepang qualifying
Speaking to Canal+, Charles Leclerc acknowledged the strength of his team-mate’s performance and accepted responsibility for his own difficulties as the track conditions changed between Q1 and Q3.
Charles Leclerc: “Lewis did an extremely good lap and I think he managed to put everything together, so well done to him. On my side, I didn’t anticipate the track evolution between Q1 and Q3. The more I pushed, the more I felt that…”
Charles Leclerc then explained how his preferred front-end characteristics became increasingly difficult to manage once qualifying reached its decisive phase.
Charles Leclerc: “I like cars with a lot of front end, but once we got to Q3 and I was pushing in the first sector, then in the second and third I was losing the rear and paying the price for that. The further qualifying went, the more I struggled with understeer. My fault, but it won’t have an impact on the race.”
The changing balance helps explain why Charles Leclerc could not reproduce the level of performance that Lewis Hamilton extracted from the SF-26 in the final qualifying runs. For continued coverage of the Monegasque throughout the season, ScuderiaFans has a dedicated Charles Leclerc Ferrari news section.
Charles Leclerc sees a Ferrari podium chance at Sepang
Despite the qualifying setback, Charles Leclerc remains confident about Ferrari’s prospects for the Grand Prix. Asked whether a podium was possible, he said everything seen so far during the weekend suggested the Scuderia should be in contention.
Charles Leclerc: “Podium possibility? Clearly yes. Everything we have seen so far gives us hope that we will be in the fight tomorrow. Mercedes is the most difficult to predict. They have had sessions where they were extremely fast and others where they were less so. I expect them to be quick in the race. If they recover the performance we saw at certain points in the sessions, they will be difficult to beat. Otherwise, it will be interesting, both from a strategic point of view and if it rains.”
Mercedes therefore remains the main unknown in Charles Leclerc’s assessment of the race picture. The Ferrari driver had already warned during the Sepang weekend that the German team should not be underestimated, a concern explored further in his comments on Ferrari’s expectations of Mercedes at Sepang.
With Lewis Hamilton starting from the front row and Charles Leclerc promoted to fourth, Ferrari will have both cars positioned near the front of the grid. For the Monegasque, the qualifying problems are not expected to carry over into the Grand Prix, leaving him confident that a podium challenge remains possible.
Ferrari team radios reveals Lewis Hamilton delight and Charles Leclerc grip concern at Sepang
Ferrari enjoyed a strong qualifying session at Sepang, with Lewis Hamilton securing second place and a front-row start alongside pole-sitter Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, although the Monegasque will move onto the second row because of the engine penalty that Isack Hadjar must serve.
Lewis Hamilton finished 0.298 seconds away from pole position, while Charles Leclerc ended qualifying 0.536 seconds from the benchmark. The contrasting Ferrari team radio messages after the session reflected how differently the two drivers experienced the decisive stages of qualifying.
The result continues an encouraging Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang for the Scuderia, where tyre behaviour has been one of the central themes. The characteristics of the compounds and their potential suitability for the SF-26 were already an important consideration in Ferrari’s approach to the Sepang tyre challenge.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates Ferrari front-row result
Immediately after completing his final qualifying lap, Lewis Hamilton asked his race engineer where Ferrari had finished.
Lewis Hamilton: “Where are we?”
Carlo Santi: “Great lap, we’re P2. Well done!”
The confirmation triggered an emotional response from Lewis Hamilton, who shouted:
Lewis Hamilton: “Come on, guys! Finally!”
The seven-time world champion then praised Ferrari’s execution throughout the session, highlighting both the timing of the runs and the performance of the car. He also asked the team to inspect the floor after running slightly wide at Turn 11.
Lewis Hamilton: “Really great job in this session, perfect timing, the car was great. Check the floor, I ran a little wide at Turn 11.”
Carlo Santi: “We will.”
The P2 result gives Lewis Hamilton a front-row starting position for the race and adds another important chapter to his season-long battle with Charles Leclerc. Their qualifying and race results can be followed through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Charles Leclerc reports loss of rear grip
Charles Leclerc’s post-qualifying radio carried a very different tone. Race engineer Bryan Bozzi informed the Ferrari driver that he had finished fifth.
Bryan Bozzi: “And P5.”
Charles Leclerc explained that he had lost significant performance from the rear of the car over his final laps and had been unable to recover the level of grip he had experienced earlier in the session.
Charles Leclerc: “Yes, I lost a lot of performance at the rear on these last laps. I never had the grip I had before.”
Despite qualifying fifth, the penalty for Isack Hadjar means Charles Leclerc is set to move up one place on the starting grid and begin the Bahrain Grand Prix from the second row. Ferrari therefore heads into the race with both cars inside the first two rows, giving the team a strong starting position at a circuit where tyre management and degradation could play an important role.
The complete weekend timetable and event information can be found in the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
Bahrain GP qualifying: Lewis Hamilton puts Ferrari on front row, Charles Leclerc P5
Max Verstappen returned to pole position at Sepang after going 15 consecutive Grands Prix without one, producing a spectacular 1:35.130 to beat an excellent Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying at Sepang. Isack Hadjar set the third-fastest time, although the Frenchman will serve a five-place grid penalty following an ICE change and will therefore start eighth.
Kimi Antonelli’s only attempt in Q3 was enough for fourth place, ahead of Charles Leclerc and the two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. George Russell qualified eighth, while Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten. Alongside Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto also carry grid penalties.
Q1: Max Verstappen fastest as Aston Martin reaches Q2
The engines fired up again in Malaysia following FP3, with qualifying taking place in demanding conditions at Sepang. Humidity stood at 50%, while the track temperature reached 59°C and the air temperature was 33°C. Mercedes arrived for the weekend with a new update for the W17 featuring a revised aerodynamic concept.
The two Haas drivers were first onto the track, both running the soft tyres, before the Mercedes and Red Bull cars followed. Ferrari chose a different approach and fitted the medium compound, freeing up tyre sets for the race. The strategy left Charles Leclerc with two sets of softs and one set of hards, while Lewis Hamilton retained two sets of hards and one set of softs. The tyre allocation could prove particularly important at a venue where Sepang’s Pirelli compounds present a different challenge for Ferrari’s SF-26.
Esteban Ocon was the first driver to set a time, taking the early lead with a 1:38.879 ahead of his Haas team-mate. Mercedes and Red Bull soon showed their pace, with the Milton Keynes cars moving ahead of the Silver Arrows as Max Verstappen became the first driver to break into the 1:36s with a 1:36.730.
Lewis Hamilton moved into second place, 0.118 seconds behind Max Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc following in third. Lando Norris initially sat seventh behind Kimi Antonelli, while Oscar Piastri was fourth. After completing their opening runs, every driver returned to the pits.
In the closing minutes of Q1, the drivers in or around the elimination zone returned to the track. Esteban Ocon, initially the first driver below the cut-off, switched to a second set of soft tyres but was unable to improve, with his team-mate also failing to make progress. Alpine and Aston Martin managed to escape elimination in the final seconds. Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were knocked out, while Max Verstappen finished Q1 fastest ahead of the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Q2: Max Verstappen stays ahead as Gabriel Bortoleto reaches Q3
Max Verstappen produced the first lap of the weekend in the 1:35s on his opening Q2 attempt, setting a 1:35.696. Behind the Dutchman came Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Kimi Antonelli then had his second-fastest time deleted for exceeding track limits, dropping the championship leader to 13th. With no time to waste, Kimi Antonelli immediately returned to the circuit alone on a fresh set of soft tyres. The Italian responded with a 1:35.959, climbing to second place behind only Max Verstappen. The wider championship context surrounding the Mercedes driver can also be followed through Kimi Antonelli’s championship advantage.
With one minute remaining in Q2, the drivers still needing to improve headed back onto the circuit. Racing Bulls attempted to use teamwork, with Arvid Lindblad providing Liam Lawson with a tow, but the New Zealander could only reach 11th and was eliminated.
Gabriel Bortoleto produced one of the standout laps of the session, taking Audi into Q3 on his final attempt. Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad were eliminated, while Max Verstappen remained fastest ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.
Q3: Max Verstappen takes pole as Lewis Hamilton secures front row
The final qualifying session began with the pit exit remaining quiet for several minutes as the drivers delayed their first runs. Kimi Antonelli initially watched from the garage because he had only one fresh set of soft tyres available.
Isack Hadjar set the early benchmark with a 1:35.558 to take provisional pole. Neither Ferrari could initially beat that time, with Lewis Hamilton moving into second and Charles Leclerc third. Max Verstappen then improved on his team-mate’s benchmark with a 1:35.250.
With five minutes remaining, Kimi Antonelli finally left the garage for his single attempt on a relatively clear circuit, while George Russell was only seventh. The championship leader went third, just 0.073 seconds behind second-placed Isack Hadjar.
On the final runs, Max Verstappen found more performance and secured pole position with a 1:35.130. Lewis Hamilton also delivered an excellent final lap, moving ahead of Isack Hadjar to claim second place and a front-row start for Ferrari. The session’s gaps and sector performance can be explored further through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison.
Isack Hadjar recorded the third-fastest time but will drop five positions on the starting grid because of his engine penalty, meaning he will start the race from eighth rather than third. Kimi Antonelli completed Q3 in fourth place, ahead of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
2026 Bahrain GP qualifying results: who took pole position at Sepang?
Max Verstappen claimed both his and Red Bull’s first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 championship at Sepang, with Lewis Hamilton securing second place to line up alongside him on the front row.
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 1m35.130s
2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.298s
3 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) +0.428s*
4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.501s
5 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.536s
6 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.627s
7 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.632s
8 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.741s
9 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +2.080s
10 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +2.543s
—
11 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.209s to Q3
12 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.406s
13 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.713s
14 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.752s
15 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +11.607s*
16 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +17.995s*
—
17 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +0.087s to Q2
18 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +0.097s
19 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.350s
20 Alexander Albon (Williams) +0.717s
21 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +0.728s
22 Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +1.050s
Hadjar, Colapinto and Lindblad will serve grid penalties
Bahrain GP FP3 telemetry: Mercedes finds pace as Ferrari remains difficult to read
The final Malaysian Grand Prix practice session at Sepang provided the clearest clues yet ahead of qualifying, although the competitive picture remains far from settled. Mercedes appears to have finally found a convincing operating window, with Red Bull still close behind, while Ferrari and McLaren remain considerably harder to interpret.
The most significant uncertainty surrounds Ferrari. The SF-26 looked noticeably more stable than it had on Friday, but its straight-line speed and performance through the faster corners remained weak. At the same time, the team’s programme appeared heavily focused on race preparation, making it difficult to understand how much performance is still being held back for qualifying.
Mercedes finds its performance window in Sepang FP3
Kimi Antonelli ended the session with highly convincing pace and used a clearly more aggressive power-unit setting on his final attempt than during the earlier stages of FP3. Mercedes had worked through some significant swings between understeer and oversteer while trying to understand the major updates introduced for this weekend, but the car now appears to have reached a much more effective balance.
The most impressive evidence came in the second sector, where Mercedes was particularly strong through the high-speed corners. This is likely where the effect of the newly fitted aerodynamic package became most visible, providing greater vertical load and a platform that, once properly balanced, allowed the drivers to carry substantial speed through corners with high lateral acceleration.
George Russell remained well behind his team-mate for the time being, although at least a couple of tenths of his roughly six-tenth deficit appeared to come from using the power unit even more conservatively.
Red Bull remains Mercedes’ closest rival
Red Bull continued to show impressive consistency. The telemetry indicated that Max Verstappen was extremely fast on the straights, comfortable in the quicker sections and able to limit the losses effectively in the slower corners.
The Red Bull did not necessarily look perfectly optimised for every part of Sepang, which would be understandable given some of the known limitations of its aerodynamic platform. Even so, the overall compromise found by the Milton Keynes engineers appeared very effective. The car remained demanding, but Max Verstappen was able to manage it well enough to emerge as Kimi Antonelli’s most credible challenger.
Ferrari more stable, but how much performance remains?
Ferrari was probably the most difficult car to assess during FP3. Compared with Friday, the behaviour of the SF-26 improved significantly. The rear axle looked far more stable, with less movement on corner exit, and both drivers appeared much less cautious behind the wheel than they had during the opening two practice sessions.
Importantly, that improved rear stability did not seem to come at the expense of the front end. There were no obvious signs of weakness from the front axle, producing what appeared to be a convincing balance between the two ends of the car. From a pure drivability perspective, the SF-26 therefore appeared to be working well. Ferrari’s broader technical development can be followed through the ScuderiaFans Ferrari technical analysis section.
The problem was outright speed. Ferrari looked extremely slow on the straights and through the faster corners, resulting in a particularly weak middle sector. Charles Leclerc also showed very heavy energy harvesting approaching Turn 10, another indication that the power-unit usage seen during FP3 was unlikely to represent the car’s maximum potential.
The impression was that Ferrari was still running at a relatively low power level, although it remained difficult to determine why. The conservative approach could simply have been related to reliability management in the high temperatures, but another possibility was that the team was trying to control rear-tyre temperatures by reducing the wheelspin naturally associated with the high torque generated by these power units.
Tyre management has been one of the defining variables of the Sepang weekend, with the behaviour of the available compounds explored in more detail in the analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang tyres may suit the SF-26.
Ferrari’s long runs on the Hard compound also suggested that the team’s work was almost entirely orientated towards the race. That approach would mean accepting some compromise over a single qualifying lap, particularly on a weekend where qualifying is expected to be close to irrelevant compared with the importance of race pace and tyre management. Practice pace and stint trends can be compared through the ScuderiaFans F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis.
McLaren still difficult to assess on the Soft tyre
McLaren was similarly difficult to interpret. Its Medium-tyre time attack around the middle of the session looked very competitive, but when the team switched to the Soft compound and the moment came to significantly lower the lap time, the MCL40 once again disappeared from the leading references.
The aerodynamic load appeared to be present and the car looked well balanced, but its absolute performance remained difficult to predict, much like Ferrari. Another unanswered question concerns how much additional performance McLaren can extract from its power unit in qualifying, after making significant steps in engine deployment when it mattered during recent race weekends.
Sepang qualifying remains wide open
FP3 therefore left several realistic candidates for the front row. Sepang is particularly sensitive to changing conditions, while the tyres are struggling to maintain their performance through an entire push lap. That could cause the gaps in qualifying to become larger than expected.
For the same reasons, however, the single-lap competitive order may not necessarily reflect the true hierarchy over the race distance. The detailed differences in speed, braking and corner performance can be explored with the ScuderiaFans F1 Qualifying Telemetry & Corner Comparison.
Kimi Antonelli heads into qualifying as the leading candidate for pole position based on the evidence from FP3, with Max Verstappen expected to challenge closely. The major unanswered question is whether George Russell, Ferrari and McLaren can reveal enough additional performance to join that fight when the cars are finally pushed to their qualifying limits.
Sepang GP FP3: Ferrari SF-26 seven tenths off in qualifying simulation
Ferrari endured a difficult Bahrain Grand Prix FP3 at Sepang as the SF-26 finished around seven tenths away from the benchmark during its decisive qualifying simulations. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were separated by only 0.025 seconds, but the more significant concern for the Maranello team was its inability to extract the same level of grip as its leading rivals ahead of qualifying.
This was an important session at the 16th round of the Formula 1 season, with Ferrari needing to take a definitive step towards the front after an encouraging Friday. The objective became particularly significant because several of the other leading teams had concentrated more heavily on studying the Medium compound over a single lap, rather than pursuing outright lap time at all costs with the additional grip offered by the Soft tyre.
Ferrari finds an imperfect SF-26 in Bahrain GP FP3
Ferrari waited 13 minutes before sending a car onto the Sepang circuit. The aerodynamic configuration remained unchanged from Friday on both SF-26s, with the standard FTM exhaust layout, a three-element bargeboard and the blown Halo solution. This was the technical specification designed to provide the highest possible absolute downforce level.
Of the two Ferrari drivers, only Charles Leclerc took part in the opening run. The Monegasque went onto the Malaysian track to evaluate the final fine-tuning changes made to the set-up overnight. Ferrari had already gathered significant information on the behaviour of the available compounds on Friday, with tyre performance at Sepang remaining one of the key areas to understand.
Charles Leclerc’s number 16 car was fitted with Hard tyres, a useful compound for gathering balance data across a four-lap stint. After a ten-minute interruption caused by an incident, the session resumed and Lewis Hamilton joined the action on Soft tyres with a more aggressive power-unit mapping than Ferrari had used the previous day.
The Briton immediately encountered difficulties with track position and the braking system, while Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit on Hard tyres in high-fuel configuration.
Lewis Hamilton then carried out a qualifying-style lap with the familiar tendency towards oversteer. He was able to manage the behaviour reasonably well, although the SF-26 was still not operating at an optimal level. Charles Leclerc’s handling appeared cleaner, although his greater fuel load produced lower cornering speeds and consequently made the car easier to control. Two laps later, the Monegasque returned to the pits.
Ferrari looks balanced but lacks outright speed
At that stage, it remained difficult to draw firm conclusions from the session, although one factor was becoming increasingly apparent: Charles Leclerc appeared more comfortable interpreting the behaviour of the Ferrari.
After completing his qualifying-style attempt, Lewis Hamilton continued for another three laps without backing off, indicating that his car was carrying a greater fuel load. He then followed his team-mate back into the garage as Ferrari prepared for the most representative phase of FP3.
With 15 minutes remaining, the time came to reduce the fuel loads, increase the internal-combustion engine and hybrid power settings and push the SF-26 towards its maximum performance. The aim was to understand how the car behaved in a genuine qualifying simulation. The different programmes and long-run trends from practice can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis.
Conditions had also changed compared with Friday. Temperatures remained high, but stronger winds and the complete absence of sunshine created a different environment for the cars and tyres.
Charles Leclerc produced a relatively clean lap and handled the demanding lines through the second sector without any major difficulty. The only visible imperfection was a very slight overshoot at the final corner. Lewis Hamilton’s lap also showed generally neutral steering behaviour, although he too braked slightly late into the final corner. Turn 14 was another area requiring improvement, with the seven-time world champion losing around one tenth there.
Ferrari loses seven tenths in the qualifying simulation
The problem was the stopwatch. The two Ferrari drivers were separated by just 0.025 seconds, yet both were around seven tenths away from the fastest time. Something was not working as expected, because Ferrari’s rivals were able to extract more grip during this phase while the two SF-26s could not achieve the same result.
After two cool-down laps, both cars prepared for one final attempt, but the competitive picture remained essentially unchanged.
The sector analysis highlighted the second sector as Ferrari’s weakest area. Sepang is undoubtedly a demanding circuit, but compared with Friday, and in line with expectations from the earlier technical analysis, the opposition had begun to reveal more of its performance and the two Ferraris had dropped further back. The sector differences can be examined in greater detail through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison.
Ferrari must understand what is limiting the SF-26
The main task before qualifying is therefore to identify what is preventing the SF-26 from extracting its potential. The car’s operating window appeared narrower than it had on Friday, an increasingly clear factor during FP3.
The loading and unloading phases remained important, while examination of the tyre behaviour suggested that Ferrari was not using the compounds optimally during the third practice session. That lack of grip appeared particularly costly once the cars moved into their low-fuel qualifying configurations.
Ferrari now has roughly two and a half hours to bring the different elements together, understand the cause of the deficit and prepare the SF-26 as effectively as possible for qualifying. With Friday having offered considerably more encouraging signs, the final practice session has left the Maranello engineers with several questions to answer before the grid is decided. Full weekend timings and circuit information are available in the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
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