In Bahrain FP2, Ferrari showed mixed signals. Leclerc highlighted good tyre degradation, especially in the final part of his stint on the medium compound, managing to improve his lap times and showing a stable SF-25 in fast corners. A good sign looking ahead to Sunday. In contrast, Hamilton struggled with rear-end management, with grip issues that led to overheating tyres.
The SF-25 loses 4 tenths to Piastri despite a compound advantage
Analyzing the data charts, there’s no major performance difference between Ferrari and McLaren: Piastri and Norris carried out simulations at opposite ends of the spectrum, testing the extreme compounds provided by Pirelli. This allowed the engineers to assess degradation and gather more useful data for race strategy preparation. Oscar completed a shorter stint, showing an advantage mainly in the early phase.
Additionally, the Australian switched compounds to match his teammate—using the Soft—in the final part of the session. On that tyre, Lando Norris was by far the fastest on track, completing 5 laps with an average time of 1’37”. It’s worth noting that the McLaren drivers were running with less fuel, making it easier to extract performance from the red-banded Pirelli compound.
Ferrari chose to dedicate a smaller portion of the session to high-fuel simulations. Instead, they preferred to improve the car’s setup for single-lap pace, though without obtaining any particular benefit. Among the two drivers, Lewis Hamilton found himself in greater difficulty.
The Brit clearly struggled with rear-end management, both on low-fuel runs and during long runs. The track conditions, markedly different from those of testing, seem ill-suited to the Englishman’s driving style. Lewis suffered from a lack of grip, forcing the tyres into excessively high slip angles, which caused them to overheat.
The Ferrari has less pace, but is the only one stabilizing degradation
This is also confirmed by the telemetry data related to the degradation, which shows Lewis Hamilton needing a significant step forward, aided by some setup changes, to perform properly in the race. Russell adapted better to the highly demanding track surface compared to teammate Antonelli. Kimi, although aided by the winter testing carried out at the Sakhir circuit, did not manage tyre wear on the softer compounds as effectively as his teammate.
Russell, by contrast, experienced tyre wear similar to Norris, and more consistent than the McLaren driver. Verstappen’s average time, meanwhile, is affected by the length of his stint. The world champion’s attack time and subsequent laps were slower than his rivals’, likely due to a higher fuel load and a more conservative approach.
However, the tyre degradation shown by the world champion is the most interesting aspect of Red Bull’s performance, given the team’s well-known ability to fine-tune setups. Max was the most consistent in improving lap times, and, provided he qualifies well, seems the only one capable of challenging the McLarens in the race. As for Leclerc, and Ferrari in general, it’s difficult to quantify how much the heavily discussed floor updates have helped the drivers’ performance.
On the yellow compound, Leclerc was the only one able to lower his pace in the final part of his stint after three steady laps. That’s an encouraging sign, even if the overall pace is slower than McLaren’s. Observing the car on track, the ride heights don’t appear to have changed much, remaining consistent with those seen in Japan. Only through simulation will engineers understand if they can lower the SF-25 to recover downforce.
Charles Leclerc maximizes performance in fast sections
Finally, let’s look at the average telemetry data gathered during the long run. On medium tyres, Charles Leclerc posted better times in the final two sectors compared to Norris, who serves as the benchmark. In particular, the Ferrari seems to have opted—at least with the Monegasque—for an aerodynamic setup that maximizes cornering speed, at the cost of some top-end speed on the straights.
Leclerc is the best in the fastest parts of the circuit; in particular, the SF-25 is excellent through Turn 12, where car number 16 carries 12 km/h more than his teammate and about 10 km/h more than rivals. Mercedes, on the other hand, fine-tuned the setup focusing on traction out of corners and, in general, on higher average speed in the high-speed straight sections.
As seen in this early phase of the season, the Brackley team hits the track with a lower-downforce aerodynamic setup and a softer rear end. A similar approach was also adopted by McLaren, which shows excellent top speed even if slightly more loaded, though paying the price mid-corner in fast bends. This affected tyre degradation for the reigning champions, as confirmed by Norris’ complaints.
Ferrari is dealing with two different situations. Charles Leclerc has found the right direction, while Hamilton has struggled. The Brit needed to do a solid comparison with his teammate’s references and understand where to improve. Furthermore, the Italian team might support him by “tailoring” the car more to his driving style to unlock the untapped potential seen during free practice.
