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.
Leave a Reply