Ferrari continues to be limited by the characteristics already highlighted yesterday. The new floor has been confirmed, as it delivered the expected surplus in downforce points. Even with the introduction of this component, we still saw the lack of rotation that considerably limits the SF-25 single-seater.
Charles Leclerc is better able to manage this car, doing so through his driving talent and a certain level of experience gained with the Italian team. The difference is very clear when observing the second Q3 attempt at the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. The Ferrari does not inspire the confidence Lewis Hamilton needs, and the Briton is therefore much more conservative in the snake section of the second sector. Charles Leclerc lifts off less and seeks more mid-corner speed, but the rear doesn’t hold.
Precisely at the moment of peak load, the SF-25 was often seen losing the rear for brief instants. The drivers are thus forced to open up the steering to try and neutralize the oversteer. The same was happening in FP3. For this reason, our analysis leads us to believe that the car is still forced to run slightly higher ride heights than desired.
Even in high-speed sections, there’s some understeer, which then turns into oversteer on corner exit. This also indicates a hotter rear end in the final part of the lap. Overall, Ferrari struggles to hit the apex, and Charles Leclerc is objectively driving well beyond the capabilities of his car. McLaren is nearly perfect in this regard, and even Mercedes appears much more stable.
However, the Monegasque has confirmed that he has taken a direction that convinces him, after recent race weekends where they used extreme setups to try and ‘cover’ all areas of the track. Of course, there’s still a big gap to McLaren, so the situation can’t yet be said to have improved. Still, we had anticipated that Bahrain could offer more opportunities to the Maranello team.
McLaren: perfect rear-end thermal management
It was already clear in the early races and confirmed in the approach to this weekend: the MCL39 single-seater is the best at managing the tyres. On a rear-limited circuit like this one, it is crucial to optimize the thermal management of the tyres. Yesterday, we provided precise information about what was happening with the Ferrari SF-25.
In contrast, McLaren drivers manage to reach the final sector with the rears less overheated. Tyre performance is directly linked to its temperature. We are talking about roughly 4–5 degrees celsius less on the rear tyres at Turn 11. A concrete advantage, which stems from the amount of energy applied to the tyre. Typically, the MCL39 puts in a lower amount of energy, which is why we believed it could perform well.
This trait is shared with the Mercedes W16, which heats the tyres much less than last year. While in the 2024 Formula 1 season they performed well on cooler tracks, this year they have worked hard to curb overheating in every way, especially superficial overheating.
Red Bull: wrong balance and short shifting to avoid wheelspin
On the contrary, it is Red Bull that is struggling with high temperatures, which they feared coming into Bahrain. The Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix, with milder temperatures, helped manage tyre heat throughout the lap. There was a lot of general instability, and thus little usable grip on the RB21.
Specifically, the main limitation was understeer, possibly due to a setup aiming for a more rearward balance to improve traction. A goal that was only partially met, as even in Turn 1 Max Verstappen had to short shift to avoid spinning the rear wheels. This means he was shifting up quickly, without pushing the gears too far, precisely to avoid overstressing the rear end.
— see video above —
