Ferrari and Mercedes emerged as the main benchmarks after Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, but telemetry from the Madring revealed an important difference in how the two cars generated their lap time. The SF-26 was particularly effective early in the lap, while Mercedes appeared to preserve a significant energy advantage for the later sections, creating one of the key technical battles heading into qualifying.
The main trends were already clear during FP1 before becoming less pronounced in the second session, as the teams found better compromises than they had managed in the morning. Ferrari improved considerably in FP2, but tyre temperatures, energy deployment and the different demands of the second and third sectors still leave the Maranello engineers with plenty to solve.
Ferrari and Mercedes set the Madrid GP Friday benchmark
Ferrari began the opening session with a setup that appeared to favour the faster parts of the circuit. Once the soft tyres were fitted, however, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggled to improve their lap times as much as expected. The most likely explanation was overheating, particularly at the rear axle, which was frequently being pushed outside its ideal temperature window.
A similar imbalance appeared in the energy-management strategy. Ferrari’s deployment was not yet fully optimised and was heavily concentrated through the first sector and towards La Monumental, leaving the SF-26 with less available energy over the second part of the lap.
The picture became more encouraging in FP2. Both SF-26s performed better on the soft compound and through the slower sections, reducing the gap that Mercedes had initially opened in the third sector. It reinforced the expectation that the Madring could suit the SF-26 better than Monza, although Ferrari still has considerable performance to unlock.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton pursue different setup directions
Charles Leclerc appeared to have a more front-focused car and looked comfortable around the Madrid circuit while still maintaining a degree of caution. Lewis Hamilton also identified positive elements from Friday but felt there were several areas that needed to be reassessed overnight.
The seven-time world champion’s SF-26 appeared to lean more towards understeer, highlighting a noticeable setup difference between the two Ferrari garages. Their ideal laps support that interpretation.
Charles Leclerc’s theoretical best lap was more than three tenths faster than the 1:33.775 he actually recorded, while Lewis Hamilton had almost two tenths available compared with his 1:33.811. Ferrari therefore appears to have significant lap time still to recover if it can connect its strongest sectors into one complete qualifying attempt.
The crucial task is to balance performance between sectors two and three, which place different demands on the car. The team has already been refining its Madrid aerodynamic and rear-wing configuration as it searches for that compromise.
Ferrari tyre temperatures create different weaknesses for Leclerc and Hamilton
Charles Leclerc loses the largest portion of his deficit to Kimi Antonelli in the third sector, where he is 0.091 seconds slower. That part of the lap becomes particularly critical over a qualifying run, when aggressive deployment from the higher-performance mapping makes it easier for the rear axle to move outside its thermal operating window after being exposed to substantial loads elsewhere around the circuit.
Lewis Hamilton struggles more in the second sector, losing 0.149 seconds to Kimi Antonelli. That is also the most front-limited part of the lap, fitting the understeer tendency experienced by the British driver.
The lap times therefore match the drivers’ respective impressions of their cars. Tyre management will be central because the soft compound is subjected to enormous stress at both the front and rear during a qualifying lap.
The eventual setup compromise chosen for qualifying will be particularly interesting in relation to the floor introduced in the Netherlands, which was designed to optimise load distribution. The Madrid circuit combines front- and rear-limited sections, making it a demanding test for the wider SF-26 aerodynamic and mechanical package.
Before Saturday’s sessions, the medium compound could paradoxically represent a useful alternative to the soft from a thermal-management perspective. As the track evolves, however, the gap between the two compounds is expected to move closer to the difference predicted in Pirelli’s simulations.
Ferrari deploys more electrical energy early in the Madrid lap
Comparing the fastest laps from Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen highlights the different characteristics of the leading cars. Charles Leclerc recorded a 1:33.775, Kimi Antonelli a 1:33.662 and Max Verstappen a 1:34.063, although there is a significant anomaly in the Italian driver’s telemetry graph, probably caused by interference.
From an energy perspective, Ferrari maintained the same general deployment philosophy seen in FP1, although in a less extreme form. Charles Leclerc completed the first two acceleration zones of sector one respectively 6 km/h and 5 km/h faster than Kimi Antonelli.
Combined with an excellent passage through Turn 1 and across the kerbs at Turns 5 and 6, that allowed the Monegasque driver to gain almost 0.15 seconds over the Mercedes during the opening part of the lap.
Charles Leclerc continued gaining through the long high-speed sequence from the exit of Turns 7 and 8 to La Monumental. However, following changes to power delivery and setup, his exit speed from the banked section was lower than it had been during FP1.
Kimi Antonelli then completed the long power-limited section of the middle sector around 6 km/h faster than Charles Leclerc, beginning a trend that became even more evident through the fast sections of sector three.
Mercedes energy advantage becomes clear in sector three
Despite Charles Leclerc performing very well through the medium-low and slow corners at Turns 13, 20 and 21, Kimi Antonelli erased the Ferrari advantage and gained more than three tenths in the third sector alone.
The clearest difference appeared on the exit of the slow Turns 16 and 17 sequence, where Kimi Antonelli reached a speed around 15 km/h higher than Charles Leclerc. The comparison points to a clear Mercedes energy advantage at that stage of the lap.
Managing electrical deployment is particularly important around the new Madrid venue, where braking and acceleration patterns are very different from Monza. Ferrari must therefore balance its aggressive early-lap strategy against the need to retain sufficient energy later, with the circuit’s braking and energy-recovery demands playing a central role.
Charles Leclerc runs earlier ADUO specification
Another important detail concerns Ferrari’s power unit. Charles Leclerc was using the specification associated with the first ADUO update during Friday practice. There is also uncertainty over whether Lewis Hamilton completed the day with the same version before switching to the Monza specification for the remainder of the weekend.
The distinction could become relevant as the weekend develops because the power unit remains an important part of Ferrari’s overall performance equation. Frederic Vasseur has previously explained the thinking behind Ferrari’s ADUO power-unit development programme as the team continues working to extract performance from the SF-26 package.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull remain a threat for Saturday
Max Verstappen appeared to be the least comfortable of the three drivers in terms of setup. Compared with Red Bull, Ferrari retained a power advantage only on the straights leading towards Turns 1, 5 and 20.
Approaching Turns 16 and 17, Max Verstappen was around 15 km/h faster than Charles Leclerc, with a similar pattern appearing towards Turns 7 and 8 and the fast Turns 10 and 11 chicane.
The Dutch driver nevertheless produced the fastest middle-sector time, making Red Bull an important team to monitor on Saturday. The Austrian squad is capable of making a considerable performance step through its first overnight setup work of a Grand Prix weekend, meaning Friday’s hierarchy should not yet be treated as definitive.
McLaren struggles in slower corners as Lando Norris loses track time
McLaren also remains difficult to judge. As expected, the Woking team struggled particularly through the slower corners and still appeared to be operating outside its ideal performance window.
Lando Norris lost valuable running because of a transmission problem, an issue he had already encountered at Monza. The missed track time will make his preparation for qualifying more complicated, especially from a confidence perspective at an unfamiliar circuit where every lap helps the drivers establish braking points, limits and rhythm.
Track evolution could change Ferrari’s qualifying compromise
Saturday’s main challenge will be ensuring that the chosen setup compromise remains effective as track grip evolves. Ferrari must confirm the progress made with its latest aerodynamic update on a circuit that places substantial stress on both axles, with the rear becoming particularly vulnerable during qualifying runs.
The energy-deployment strategy chosen for the single lap was also maintained during Ferrari’s race simulations. In race conditions, the amount of recoverable energy rises from 7.5 MJ to 8.5 MJ without Overtake Mode.
By concentrating its deployment on the first two major acceleration zones, Ferrari could protect itself from attacks by rivals in the sections where Straight Mode is available.
The compromise remains difficult, however. The SF-26 still carries a considerable speed deficit elsewhere around the lap, although some of that loss can potentially be recovered through the car’s performance in the faster sections.
Thermal degradation and graining remain Ferrari risks
There is another potential consequence to Ferrari’s approach. The narrow compromise could create significant thermal degradation and potentially lead to graining on both axles, a scenario the team has already had to manage previously.
Mercedes, by contrast, can rely on a car that has consistently demonstrated strong tyre management. The rear of the W17 also appears particularly stable when the power unit is delivering maximum output, which could prove valuable on a circuit where traction and energy deployment are so closely connected.
The hard tyre, identified by its white sidewall, remains another unknown because it has yet to be used. Depending on asphalt and weather conditions, it could become important given the high lateral loads generated around the Madring.
Qualifying will ultimately be crucial because overtaking is expected to be difficult. Ferrari showed on Friday that the SF-26 has enough performance to challenge Mercedes, but converting that potential into a strong grid position will depend on putting together the setup, tyre management and energy strategy as the circuit continues to evolve.
The remaining session and qualifying times are available in the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix schedule.
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