F1 | Fred Vasseur reveals a Ferrari concern on the eve of the final tests. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur shares his expectations about rival upgrades.

At the eve of the final Formula 1 pre-season testing session in Bahrain, Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur outlined what he expects from Ferrari’s direct rivals in terms of car upgrades and development packages.

After completing kilometre after kilometre during the opening test days, Ferrari is now set to shift its focus towards outright performance in the final three days of running available in Bahrain before the start of the new Formula 1 season. The Scuderia’s objective is clear: move from data gathering and correlation work to a more aggressive exploration of the SF-26’s true pace.

To achieve this step forward, several aerodynamic updates are expected to be introduced on the Ferrari SF-26, alongside a new gearbox and a fresh power unit. These changes underline Ferrari’s intention to maximise the remaining track time and fine-tune the car’s performance window before the championship begins.

Fred Vasseur concerned about rival team upgrades

However, Ferrari will not be the only team adopting such an approach. According to the Ferrari team principal, rival teams may arrive for these final sessions with cars that differ significantly from the versions seen so far in testing.

“So far we have not had any reliability issues and we have been able to complete quite a lot of mileage. All of this has allowed us to collect a lot of data and to organise the next steps in the best possible way.”

“For now, we cannot make comparisons with the others and we are focusing only on ourselves. I am convinced that everyone will bring major upgrades both in Bahrain and then in Melbourne. And it will be like this throughout the season, because there is a lot of room for development,” added the former Alfa Romeo team principal.

The final 24 hours of testing could therefore reshuffle the pecking order that has emerged up to this point. Naturally, all the cards will only be laid on the table during the first qualifying session of the year, when it will be impossible for anyone to continue hiding their true performance level.