Ferrari Bahrain GP race pace: Lewis Hamilton closes to 0.10s of Kimi Antonelli at Sepang

Ferrari’s Bahrain Grand Prix race pace was considerably stronger than its troubled start at Sepang suggested, with Lewis Hamilton recording the third-fastest average of the field and finishing only around a tenth of a second per lap behind Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc was also among the four quickest drivers on average, giving Ferrari a much more encouraging performance picture than the opening phase of the race alone would imply.

Max Verstappen remained clearly ahead of everybody, averaging 101.01 seconds and holding a 0.36-second advantage over Antonelli. Hamilton followed on 101.47 seconds, just 0.10 behind the Mercedes driver and 0.45 off Verstappen, while Leclerc’s 101.83-second average placed him fourth overall. For Ferrari, those numbers matter because both drivers had to recover after a Sunday that began with formation-lap complications and an unfavourable tyre choice.

Ferrari Bahrain GP race pace puts Hamilton among the fastest

Hamilton’s average is arguably the most significant Ferrari figure from the race. At 101.47 seconds, the Briton was separated from Antonelli by only one tenth per lap across the representative race-pace sample. The gap to Verstappen was larger at 0.45 seconds, but Hamilton was still comfortably ahead of the next group.

That offers a different perspective on Ferrari’s afternoon. The team did not have the outright pace required to match Verstappen, who enjoyed a sizeable advantage, but Hamilton’s underlying speed was close to the next-best benchmark. Considering the compromised beginning to Ferrari’s race, his pace helped explain how the team was able to recover ground rather than simply limit further losses.

There is also a clear distinction between outright pace and the final outcome. Average lap-time analysis cannot account for every element of traffic, tyre condition or race situation, so it should not be treated as a direct prediction of where each driver should have finished. It does, however, provide a useful measure of the speed Ferrari was able to produce once the race developed.

Charles Leclerc strengthens Ferrari’s encouraging picture

Leclerc’s 101.83-second average was 0.82 seconds slower than Verstappen’s but still fourth quickest overall. He trailed Hamilton by 0.36 seconds, leaving Ferrari with both cars inside the top four on average pace despite the difficulties that shaped the early stages.

That is important when assessing Ferrari’s performance at Sepang. The result was not simply built on surviving a difficult race or benefiting from events elsewhere. Both Ferrari drivers demonstrated enough sustained speed to rank near the front of the field, although Verstappen’s advantage showed that Red Bull still held a substantial performance margin on this particular Sunday.

The contrast between Hamilton and Leclerc is also notable without requiring a broader technical conclusion. Hamilton extracted the stronger average pace of the two, but Leclerc remained ahead of every driver other than Verstappen, Antonelli and his Ferrari team-mate. The figures therefore point to competitive underlying race performance from the SF-26 rather than an isolated quick stint from one car.

2026 Bahrain GP race pace: full ranking at Sepang

Ferrari placed both cars inside the top four for average race pace. Lewis Hamilton was third fastest at 101.47 seconds, only 0.10 seconds per lap behind Kimi Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc ranked fourth with a 101.83-second average.

Average race-pace figures are rounded to two decimal places. Gaps are calculated from the underlying race-pace dataset, which explains why drivers with the same displayed average can have slightly different gaps.

Verstappen sets the benchmark as Alonso maximises his race

Behind the leading four, Isack Hadjar averaged 101.95 seconds and George Russell 102.01, followed by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen’s 0.36-second advantage over Antonelli made him the clear reference and underlined that his victory was supported by the strongest sustained pace of the race.

Fernando Alonso provided another noteworthy performance further back. His 102.73-second average ranked tenth, broadly matching a points-scoring level of pace, while he also recorded the lowest top speed among the drivers who used overtake mode. That combination makes the points he secured particularly notable, as his result came without a strong straight-line speed advantage.

For Ferrari, however, the central takeaway is more encouraging than the messy beginning suggested. Sepang exposed costly execution problems, but once Hamilton and Leclerc were able to settle into the race, their pace placed both Ferraris firmly among the fastest cars on track. Verstappen was still out of reach, but Hamilton’s proximity to Antonelli gives Ferrari a much more useful benchmark to take from the weekend.