A difficult morning for Charles Leclerc with Ferrari in the final day of pre-season testing at the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. The Italian F1 team experimented throughout the morning, even modifying the pull-rod suspension setup. The goal was to improve braking performance, an area where the Monegasque driver was struggling to fully express one of his strongest traits. A lot of work, in short, but the team was well-prepared. The results on track appeared inconsistent. However, it must be said that we do not know exactly what kind of data they were aiming to collect. It is difficult to form a precise idea.
In the afternoon, it was Lewis Hamilton’s turn to continue the Maranello team’s preparations so let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the British driver. As the session begins, Lewis Hamilton immediately takes to the track in the SF-25. Car number 44 is fitted with a set of Pirelli C3 tires. In the first laps, the rear of the Italian car appears a bit light. It should be noted that the track conditions are not ideal, contributing in part to the instability of the rear end. Generally speaking, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari exhibits an oversteering tendency, which the seven-time Formula 1 world champion seems to manage well—certainly better than understeer.
From what we understand, the Italian team has decided to take a different approach in this first part of the session: an additional test to define the limits of the setup, studying different car behaviors and its relative ability to respond. Lewis Hamilton remains on track, continuing to lap for data collection. The Briton then returns to the garage, where he engages in an intense exchange of information with his race engineer, essentially preparing for the next run. Meanwhile, the mechanics make a slight adjustment to the wing.
The former Mercedes driver then returns to the track. It appears that the handling of his F1 car has improved slightly. A relatively short run is interrupted by another pit stop for an additional modification to the front-end load distribution. Reviewing an onboard of the British driver, we notice a slight struggle after Turn 1, where, in the direction change towards Turn 3, the car is not entirely composed. The braking into Turn 4 is good, as is the following snake section, but compared to his teammate, Hamilton is forced to lift the throttle to 15%.
At Turn 8, he runs slightly wide, while on the exit of Turn 10, excessive rotation causes a correction that delays traction. Turns 11, 12, and 13 go well, while at Turn 14, he fails to hit the apex. The Prancing Horse is testing an oversteering car with Lewis Hamilton. The Briton is essentially continuing the work started in the morning by his teammate. Ferrari is trying to determine which car behavior is more manageable, considering how the SF-25 responds to setup adjustments.
In the meantime, we can describe another onboard lap from Lewis Hamilton. His line remains imperfect through the middle of Turn 2, and he runs slightly wide at Turn 4. However, for the rest of the lap, except for an imprecise apex at Turn 13, Lewis Hamilton’s handling is very good. It should be noted that wind and temperature have made the track slower compared to yesterday. After a long stop, the Briton returns to the track on Pirelli C4 tires. However, this is just a quick outing to check the setup that will be used for the high-fuel study, which should take place in the next few minutes.
Lewis Hamilton’s stint lasted about ten laps, with his final lap ending in the pits. During this competitive phase, he was running on a set of medium tires—specifically, the C4s. His lap times were not impressive compared to McLaren’s, though it must be remembered that Ferrari conducted all these tests with a full fuel tank. His opening lap was a 36.4, followed by the following times: 36.6, 36.8, 36.4, 37.2, 36.8, 36.8, 38.0, 37.0, 37.7. As for handling, it was generally clean and solid.
The oversteering tendency remains, though with more fuel onboard, it appears less pronounced. We know how crucial fuel load is in Formula 1, as the power-to-weight ratio changes significantly. Lewis Hamilton’s next run largely mirrored previous sensations, with a car struggling for balance. Even for the drivers, providing precise feedback is not easy. One thing is certain: Ferrari still has a lot of work to do to find the car’s optimal operating window.
A positive aspect is that real-world data matches what was obtained in the simulator and wind tunnel. The issue lies in the drivability of the car, as its ideal working range is still far from the optimal one. Finding the right balance is necessary to unlock its full potential. Today’s program adjustments were specifically aimed at this: increasing the volume of information to be processed and fed into powerful computing systems to refine the simulator, a tool that will help the team prepare the car for the Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
The Maranello team’s understanding of the car has significantly improved over these days, and development will continue with further simulator testing. The goal is to fine-tune the final details ahead of the Melbourne race. On-track data collection is crucial, as it allows simulations to be updated with more precise parameters, enhancing race preparation. For the record, Ferrari’s test ended an hour earlier than scheduled. A technical issue, perhaps? Whatever the reason, the F1 team placed barriers in front of the garage, marking the early conclusion of their track session.
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