Ferrari ended the Bahrain Grand Prix back on the podium, although not with both cars, as Lewis Hamilton brought the number 44 SF-26 home in third place with Charles Leclerc immediately behind in fourth. Despite a difficult start to the race at Sepang, Fred Vasseur described the overall performance as convincing and highlighted the strength of Ferrari’s race pace.
The result completed a complicated afternoon for the Maranello team, which had to overcome an early technical scare and a tyre strategy that initially sent both cars towards the back of the field during the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
Lewis Hamilton suffers early power unit scare at Sepang
The race began badly for Lewis Hamilton even before the competitive action had properly started. During the laps behind the Safety Car, the British driver’s Ferrari switched off after the entire electrical side of the car stopped functioning.
The SF-26 restarted shortly afterwards, allowing Lewis Hamilton to continue. The fact that the race was subsequently suspended again also helped the seven-time world champion resume his afternoon without losing the opportunity to compete for a strong result.
The episode appeared particularly unusual in the context of the technical problems affecting the field during the formation-lap procedure. Fred Vasseur later suggested that the issue was connected to FIA software rather than a Ferrari-specific problem.
Ferrari slick tyre gamble sends both cars backwards
The difficulty increased once the race began because Ferrari adopted very similar tyre strategies for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Both drivers started on slick tyres while the circuit remained wet, and the dry-weather rubber did not provide the grip required when the lights went out.
As the laps progressed, other cars moved past and both Ferraris dropped towards the rear of the field. Charles Leclerc soon returned to the pits to fit intermediate tyres, while Ferrari also called Lewis Hamilton in.
However, Lewis Hamilton chose to stay out. The expectation at that stage was that the circuit would continue drying, which meant making a pit stop could potentially have resulted in unnecessary lost time if conditions quickly became suitable for slicks.
The contrasting tyre choices and their effect on the race can also be examined through ScuderiaFans’ F1 Race Pace & Lap Time Comparison.
Fred Vasseur explains why Ferrari did not split its starting strategy
Speaking to Sky Sport after the race, Fred Vasseur was asked why Ferrari had not deliberately divided the strategies between its two drivers by putting one car on intermediates and the other on slicks.
“I think the same rule applies to every team: when you are convinced that one option is the best at that particular moment, you have to make the same choice on both cars. It is the same decision McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes made. Around 50% of the cars on the grid chose to start on wet/intermediate tyres and the other 50% on dry tyres.”
The Ferrari team principal stressed how easy it was to judge the decision once the outcome was known.
“Clearly, in hindsight it is far too easy to say that one choice was better than the other, but when you are on the pit wall you only have the information coming from the radar and from the grid on the reconnaissance lap. On the first lap you discover whether the decision was right or wrong, and by then it was already too late to come straight back in.”
Fred Vasseur points to FIA software behind Lewis Hamilton issue
Fred Vasseur also addressed the technical incident involving Lewis Hamilton during the early stages of the race.
“I don’t think the sequence of events is completely clear to everyone yet, but from the beginning it looked to me like a problem related to the FIA software. It is no coincidence that the Federation then chose to update and reset all the cars’ software during the red flag, and after that modification the system started working normally again.”
Once the early difficulties were overcome, Lewis Hamilton was able to recover strongly and ultimately secure another podium during his Ferrari campaign, while Charles Leclerc followed him home in fourth.
Ferrari encouraged by strong SF-26 race pace
Before turning attention fully towards the next Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur offered one final assessment of Ferrari’s Sepang performance and emphasised that the positives had already been visible from qualifying.
“It was a very good weekend starting from Saturday’s qualifying. In the race our pace was extremely strong: consider that we had to bring Charles into the pits for an additional tyre change and, despite that, finishing third and fourth with Lewis and Charles is really a fantastic result.”
The performance also reinforced the positive signals surrounding the SF-26 over a race distance, despite the unusual weather and strategic complications. Charles Leclerc’s continuing campaign can be followed through the dedicated Charles Leclerc section.
Ferrari turns attention to Singapore
Formula 1 now heads directly to Marina Bay for the Singapore Grand Prix. The street circuit will host an evening race and, as Lewis Hamilton suggested after the previous event in Azerbaijan, its characteristics could potentially suit the philosophy of the SF-26.
However, the competitive picture remains difficult to predict, with this Formula 1 season continuing to produce significant uncertainty from one circuit to another.
Fred Vasseur nevertheless made Ferrari’s ambition clear ahead of the rapid turnaround. “Now another race weekend awaits us in just a few days: we will immediately be back on track in Singapore to do even better.”
Leave a Reply