Ferrari completed the opening free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend with Charles Leclerc finishing third, 0.520 seconds behind pace-setter George Russell, while Dino Beganovic ended the session in eighth place, 1.415 seconds off the benchmark time. Here is a look at the results from FP1 and the work carried out by the Scuderia as it began evaluating the extensive development package introduced on the SF-26 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Barcelona weekend is a crucial one for the Maranello-based team due to the large number of upgrades brought to the SF-26. The Spanish circuit therefore represents a key crossroads for Ferrari’s season, particularly regarding the chassis and aerodynamic package. The team is also waiting for what could be its first power unit update, potentially scheduled for the Austrian Grand Prix, the next round on the Formula 1 calendar.
Ferrari is believed to be between 8% and 10% behind the current benchmark in terms of power unit performance, which would potentially allow the team to introduce two upgrades during 2026 and two more in 2027. However, official confirmation from the FIA regarding the ADUO process is still pending, as the governing body has reportedly decided to re-examine the power unit data following Red Bull’s objections. The Milton Keynes-based team was initially identified as having the strongest engine package but disagreed with that conclusion.
Ferrari’s FP1 programme with the new upgrade package
Lewis Hamilton was not on track during the session, with Ferrari choosing to use this FP1 outing to satisfy one of the mandatory rookie driver requirements. Dino Beganovic therefore took over the second SF-26 and was tasked with running the previous car specification, allowing Ferrari to perform a direct comparison against Charles Leclerc, who was equipped with the new upgrade package.
Both Ferrari drivers started the session on medium-compound tyres. After five laps, Charles Leclerc returned to the pits to reduce the front wing angle by two clicks on the newly updated front wing specification introduced by the Scuderia.
The opening laps served primarily as an exploratory phase for both drivers as they assessed track conditions and gathered initial feedback from their respective cars. Two laps after the front wing adjustment, Charles Leclerc returned to the pits once again for further setup changes, according to information communicated by race engineer Bryan Bozzi.
Meanwhile, after his first run, Dino Beganovic occupied 13th place, almost four seconds behind George Russell’s benchmark lap at that stage of the session.
Roughly five minutes later, Charles Leclerc returned to the track on the same set of medium tyres, while Dino Beganovic followed a similar programme. After only a couple of laps, the Monegasque driver once again requested a reduction of two clicks in front wing angle.
Following that adjustment, Charles Leclerc was unable to improve his lap time and returned to the garage after completing a total 13-lap stint on the medium compound tyres. During the same phase of the session, Dino Beganovic improved his own benchmark but still remained approximately three seconds adrift of the fastest time.
After additional setup modifications, Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit fitted with a set of soft tyres. The change immediately produced an improvement, allowing him to move into third position, just over half a second behind George Russell.
One notable feature throughout the session was the significant amount of superclipping visible on the Ferrari, particularly along the main straight. This was a phenomenon observed by several teams as they continued to optimize energy management under the 2026 regulations.
At the conclusion of his soft-tyre qualifying simulation, Charles Leclerc elected once again to reduce the front wing angle, this time by a substantial five clicks. The Ferrari driver then attempted another push lap but was unable to improve on his previous effort.
Race simulation work closes the session
Meanwhile, Dino Beganovic also switched to the soft compound tyres and improved significantly, briefly moving up to seventh position on the timesheets.
With approximately eight minutes remaining in the session, Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit using the same medium tyres from the opening phase of FP1. The Ferrari driver then completed a short race simulation consisting of four consecutive laps.
His lap sequence was recorded as:
- 1:21.7
- 1:21.4
- 1:21.8
- 1:22.8 (affected by traffic)
At the chequered flag, Charles Leclerc secured third place overall, while Dino Beganovic finished eighth.
From a performance perspective, the session offered only limited conclusions, particularly regarding outright lap times. As is often the case in FP1, fuel loads, engine modes and test programmes varied significantly between teams.
What Ferrari can take away from the session is that the evaluation of the new SF-26 upgrade package began without any major issues. The team was able to complete its planned comparison programme and gather valuable data regarding the revised aerodynamic package, including the heavily updated front wing.
More meaningful indications regarding the competitiveness of the upgrades are expected to emerge during the second free practice session, scheduled for 17:00 local time, when teams are likely to focus more heavily on qualifying simulations and race pace analysis.
Leave a Reply