Ferrari: Charles Leclerc exploits SF-25’s weaknesses to his advantage | Sakhir F1 telemetry data analysis. Bahrain: Charles Leclerc makes the most of Ferrari SF-25’s shortcomings.

Ferrari will start the Bahrain Grand Prix on the front row with Charles Leclerc. This is excellent news for the Italian side in Formula 1, as Ferrari is able to try to capitalize on this important opportunity thanks to the double penalty received by the Mercedes drivers. The Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying confirmed the excellent form of Oscar Piastri, who delivered an outstanding performance to crown a perfect weekend so far, in full continuity with what had been seen in the last free practice sessions.

The young Australian was extremely effective in putting the lap together, fully exploiting the potential of a well-balanced and precise McLaren at every point on the track. On the other side, Charles Leclerc brought his SF-25 to third position—the highest result realistically achievable at the moment. The Monegasque beat his teammate by a full +0.598 seconds.

He did so by confirming that he had found a more effective way to extract performance from a complex and often unpredictable car, as we pointed out in this article. An encouraging sign, considering the difficulties faced in the first three races of the 2025 Formula 1 season. As already highlighted in the analysis of the second free practice session, the SF-25 single-seater showed understeer, but to a lesser extent than in China and Japan.

Charles Leclerc is better at stitching together the racing lines, brushing the inside curbs with greater precision. However, slight oversteer emerges in some sections of the track, particularly during lift-off and transition phases. This is a minor annoyance that slightly affects performance, although in some cases the Monegasque driver has been able to turn this trait to his advantage.

Telemetry data analysis immediately reveals a crucial detail in the first sector: Charles Leclerc loses significant ground coming out of Turn 2, a point where excellent traction is essential in order to launch toward the straight leading to Turn 3. Here, the McLaren MCL39 shines: the setup of the rear dampers appears to be more tuned to quick compression, helping the car to settle effectively and release torque more progressively.

The “papaya” speed trace rises earlier and more steeply than the red one, demonstrating more effective traction and better mechanical connection with the rear. At the end of the second DRS zone, entering Turn 4, Charles Leclerc loses another tenth. Despite having higher cornering speed (up to +4 kilometers per hour), the Monegasque driver exits too wide, having to delay throttle application.

This is a point he and his engineer worked on extensively during the F1 weekend, trying to maximize entry and mid-corner speed, even at the cost of slightly sacrificing the exit phase. Oscar Piastri, by contrast, adopts a more conservative approach on entry to Turn 4, lifting off earlier than Charles Leclerc. This allows for a much cleaner, more linear, and immediate exit, with excellent steering response.

His racing line appears more composed, the result of well-centered balance and strong confidence in the rear end. Continuing through the lap, in the snake section (Turns 5-6-7), the delta still favors Oscar Piastri, who carries more speed through each corner—up to +5 kilometers per hour, and especially navigates these direction changes with remarkable ease. His steering points precisely where he wants to go.

This results in a clean line, without any corrections, allowing him to consistently mount every inside curb. Charles Leclerc’s difficulty at this section is evident in the lift he has to apply between Turns 6 and 7—about 15% more than the Australian—indicating that the Monegasque was not entirely confident with his car in this part of the track.

Heading toward the end of the second sector, Charles Leclerc starts to recover some ground, even in corners like Turn 10, where he was losing significant traction in the second free practice session on Friday. But Turn 11 remains a weak spot: the number 81 MCL39 continues to make the difference here, giving Oscar Piastri a second sector time of 38.574, about a tenth and a half quicker than the Ferrari driver.

This gap is almost entirely concentrated in that corner. The McLaren sticks to the track surface, showing perfect balance: no steering corrections, no hesitation, just a smooth and composed progression. The Australian driver can open the throttle much earlier and with a stability that lets him power out strongly without compromising his line. Charles Leclerc, by contrast, finds the rear end too loose, with even excessive rotation that, while helping corner entry, complicates throttle reapplication. The same situation repeats at Turn 13, where the papaya car dominates the micro-sectors. The Ferrari SF-25, though not behaving dramatically, shows more corrections, a sign of a narrower and less stable operating window compared to the McLaren.

In the final part of the track, once again, the British car appears to have more rubber left to exploit, managing to maximize grip even in the closing parts of the lap, when tire condition begins to degrade. This indicates better thermal management and a more even load distribution between front and rear, allowing Piastri to push all the way to the final meter.