Vasseur and the regulatory unknowns: “Last year we had everything under control”
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke to Sky Sport F1 to review the first day of the second pre-season test session in Bahrain. It was a very positive morning for Charles Leclerc, who completed more than 70 laps without any issues, allowing the Monegasque driver to complete his entire programme smoothly.
The afternoon proved more complicated for Lewis Hamilton, who encountered a minor issue that cost him valuable time in the garage. The seven-time world champion completed a total of 44 laps by the end of the day.
Analyzing the situation, however, Fred Vasseur stressed that there was nothing alarming about the setback: “We have done seven days of testing, reliability has been pretty good apart from a small problem today, but it wasn’t a drama. We are focused on improving the car, we are looking at the processes, so far everything is fine.”
The potential of the SF-26 remains almost a taboo subject
Data collection continues for Ferrari, but for now offering a clear indication of the true potential of the SF-26 is almost off-limits. “Giving an indication of where we are is still very difficult to say. Last year we had everything under control in testing. We could estimate what the performance of our rivals was, whereas today it is harder to say whether Mercedes still has something in its pocket. There are many more variables. We can calculate what we have, but we don’t know what the others have,” he continued.
According to the Ferrari team principal, the 2026 Formula 1 season will also be extremely complex from a development perspective. While fans may enjoy the uncertainty and constant evolution, engineers will face a far more demanding challenge.
“To understand the regulations we will probably need four or five races, and to have a clear picture of the season it will take even more. The development rate will be very high. We have seen that between the Barcelona test and the first days in Bahrain everyone brought updates, and the same happened between the first and second tests here in Sakhir. I think everyone will bring new parts to Melbourne, the pace of development for all teams will be very high. This means that the picture at the first race will not be the same as at the end of the championship. It will be very nice for the fans and for the show, but I prefer to be in front,” Fred Vasseur concluded.
Frédéric Vasseur has therefore emphasized that while Ferrari is satisfied with their progress despite minor reliability issues, the massive number of variables in the 2026 regulations makes it impossible to predict the true pecking order until several races have passed, ensuring a season defined by an unprecedented development rate among all teams.
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