Ferrari completed a remarkable recovery at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, with Lewis Hamilton climbing back to third place and Charles Leclerc finishing immediately behind in fourth. Yet the post-race team radio revealed very different emotions inside the two SF-26 cockpits: Lewis Hamilton praised the team’s pit stops and strategy but felt more had been possible, while Charles Leclerc was deeply dissatisfied with the car’s pace and balance.
The final result represented a major turnaround after an extremely difficult opening phase of the race. Software problems affected both Ferrari drivers during the laps behind the Safety Car, before the team’s decision to use dry-weather Soft tyres on a track that was still too wet left both cars tumbling towards the back of the field.
Ferrari recovers from a nightmare start at Sepang
The beginning of Ferrari’s Bahrain GP was far from ideal. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were first affected by software issues while running behind the Safety Car. After the restart, the choice to fit Soft tyres compounded the situation because the Sepang asphalt remained wet enough to require Intermediate tyres.
Both Ferrari drivers quickly found themselves near the rear of the field, leaving the team facing a major recovery job. The race then swung back towards the Scuderia following the Safety Car triggered by Valtteri Bottas.
From there, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc mounted a significant comeback. The Briton eventually secured third place, ending Ferrari’s podium drought dating back to the Belgian Grand Prix in July, while the Monegasque followed closely in fourth.
The scale of the recovery can be followed through the ScuderiaFans F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker, while further coverage of both drivers is available in the dedicated Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc sections.
Lewis Hamilton praises Ferrari strategy but sees missed opportunity
Lewis Hamilton’s third place finally returned Ferrari to the podium after several difficult races. His race engineer Carlo Santi acknowledged the significance of the result over team radio after the chequered flag.
Carlo Santi said: “Well done, Lewis! Back on the podium after a while. You deserve much more, but let’s enjoy this.”
Lewis Hamilton replied: “Yes guys, great job with the pit stops and the strategy during the race. Obviously there was more on the table for us today, but we’ll learn for next time.”
The seven-time world champion’s reaction reflected both sides of Ferrari’s afternoon. The team had recovered impressively from a disastrous opening phase and converted the opportunity created by the later Safety Car into a podium, yet Lewis Hamilton still believed the final outcome did not represent the maximum that had been available.
Charles Leclerc delivers blunt verdict on Ferrari pace
Charles Leclerc’s mood was considerably less positive despite finishing just one place behind his teammate. The Monegasque immediately focused on the underlying performance of the SF-26 rather than the recovery itself.
Bryan Bozzi informed him: “And P4.”
Charles Leclerc responded: “A very disappointing race. The pace was terrible. We’ll talk afterwards because I think we were really out of place with the car. From my side, it felt really, really bad. We were nowhere, were we?”
Bryan Bozzi replied: “I wouldn’t say that, but we’ll do an analysis afterwards.”
Charles Leclerc’s comments highlighted a concern that the fourth-place finish alone could not fully capture. Although Ferrari recovered strongly in terms of track position, the Monegasque was clearly unhappy with how the car behaved and with the race pace he had experienced from inside the cockpit.
Mixed emotions despite Ferrari P3 and P4
The contrast between the two team-radio exchanges summed up Ferrari’s Bahrain GP at Sepang. Lewis Hamilton could appreciate the podium and the work carried out during the race while still recognising that opportunities had been missed. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, was far more critical of the SF-26’s underlying performance despite recovering to fourth.
For Ferrari, P3 and P4 ultimately represented an impressive rescue after the software trouble and tyre mistake that had threatened to derail the race completely. However, the post-race messages from both drivers also made clear that the final classification did not erase the questions raised by the car’s pace and the decisions made during the opening stages.
Further analysis of the SF-26 and Ferrari’s evolving performance characteristics is available in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
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