Ferrari may still have significant untapped pace compared to Charles Leclerc’s qualifying simulation during Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.
According to information that emerged at the end of the six days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Ferrari could still have a substantial margin over the lap time set by Charles Leclerc in his qualifying simulation. The Monegasque driver finished with the outright fastest time of the test, stopping the clock at 1:31.992 and topping the timesheets at the Sakhir circuit.
It was an encouraging sign for the Scuderia from Maranello, especially considering the particular conditions under which the lap is believed to have been achieved. While headline times in testing always require careful interpretation, the context behind Leclerc’s run could be even more significant than initially thought.
During the final session of running, Ferrari focused much of its programme on gathering data related to the new SF-26, aiming to better understand the car’s behaviour in a low-fuel, qualifying-style configuration. However, as is always the case in F1 testing, lap times must be treated with caution. Fuel loads, engine modes and individual team programmes remain unknown, and these variables can have a decisive impact on outright performance.
Ferrari may still have more performance in hand
According to reports from AutoRacer, Charles Leclerc completed his qualifying simulation with approximately 50 kilograms of fuel onboard — a detail that is far from insignificant. In official qualifying sessions, Formula 1 cars run with minimal fuel in order to extract maximum performance over a single lap.
If this information is confirmed, it would suggest that Ferrari still has considerable untapped potential, raising expectations among fans ahead of the opening round of the season. Running that level of fuel during a simulated qualifying lap would indicate that the true pace of the SF-26 may not yet have been fully revealed.
Despite these positive signs, there remains a degree of caution within Maranello. Inside the team, there is awareness that the current Power Unit may not yet match the level of Mercedes, widely regarded in the paddock as the benchmark in terms of power and efficiency.
Definitive answers, however, will only arrive during the race weekend in Melbourne. At that point, when cars run in identical competitive conditions and fuel loads are no longer a mystery, nobody will be able to hide their true performance level.
