Ferrari race simulation analysis: SF-26 pace beats McLaren MCL40. Lewis Hamilton completes 149 laps during Bahrain F1 testing.

The first phase of winter testing in Bahrain concluded yesterday with another highly positive eight-hour session for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton completed the full work programme on the SF-26, enjoying a productive day that saw the British driver cover an impressive 149 laps — the equivalent of roughly two and a half Grand Prix distances (808 km). Across the three days, the overall tally for the Maranello team stands at a remarkable 423 laps, or 2,291 kilometres, providing a solid foundation of data on both reliability and the dynamic behaviour of the new car.

Morning: setup comparisons on the C3 compound

The morning session began shortly after 10:00 local time, with Lewis Hamilton immediately exploring the potential of the SF-26 under track conditions that were still relatively cool but rapidly warming up. During this phase, the programme focused exclusively on the C3 compound. The team deliberately avoided switching tyre specifications in order to isolate setup variables as much as possible, allowing the driver to carry out direct comparisons between different car configurations.

Lewis Hamilton completed 69 laps (373 km), alternating between runs of varying lengths to monitor aerodynamic stability and mechanical balance. It was during this session that the seven-time world champion recorded his fastest lap of the day, a 1:34.209 set on the medium C3 tyre. Data collection was extensive, with particular emphasis placed on correlating factory simulations with the real-world responses of the Bahrain asphalt, which reached temperatures fluctuating between 30 and 40°C.

Afternoon: tyre comparisons and race simulation

Following the lunch break, track action resumed with an even more intense programme. The Briton began the afternoon by continuing refinement work on the C3 compound before moving into a crucial comparison phase between the different available tyre specifications. The team progressively introduced the C1 compound — the hardest in the range — followed by the C2, enabling Lewis to evaluate the behaviour of the SF-26 under varying levels of grip and thermal stress.

In the afternoon, the British driver added another 80 laps (433 km) to his total, confirming the strong health of the Ferrari Power Unit and its auxiliary systems. Despite air and track temperatures peaking at around 30°C and 40°C respectively, the car demonstrated consistent performance throughout the race simulation, offering encouraging signs for Ferrari’s engineers ahead of the second test session.

The best lap time of the afternoon was a 1:34.533, once again set on the C3 tyre, underlining that the focus remained on durability and understanding airflow behaviour rather than chasing outright lap time. As for the average pace across the three race stints completed by Lewis Hamilton — interrupted three laps from the end when the SF-26 ran out of fuel — the British driver recorded an average of 1:40.2 in the first stint on C3, 1:38.9 in the second stint on C1, and 1:37.4 in the final stint on C2.

These are encouraging figures, notably quicker than the race simulation completed almost simultaneously by McLaren, reinforcing the sense that Ferrari’s SF-26 is building both consistency and competitiveness as pre-season preparations continue in Bahrain.