Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc recovered from a disastrous strategic start to finish third and fourth at Sepang after Ferrari’s decision to begin the race on slick tyres left both of its cars tumbling backwards in the damp conditions. The seven-time world champion and his Maranello teammate ultimately produced an impressive recovery, but their pace also raised questions over how much more might have been possible with a different opening tyre choice.
Hamilton had qualified second behind Max Verstappen and appeared set to fight near the front before the chaotic pre-race sequence dramatically changed the situation. His SF-26 initially stopped on the main straight when a software problem affected several cars in the wet conditions, although the British driver was eventually able to get going again. Following a delay of almost two hours, attention then turned to one of the biggest strategic decisions of the race.
Ferrari’s slick-tyre gamble hurts Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
Teams were divided over whether to remain on intermediate tyres or take the risk of starting on slicks. Roughly half of the field stayed with the intermediates, while Ferrari joined the group willing to gamble on dry-weather rubber despite the uncertain track conditions.
Hamilton had already warned the team that surviving the opening phase on dry tyres could prove difficult. That concern quickly became reality once racing began, with the drivers on intermediates making rapid progress towards the front while both Ferrari cars slipped towards the rear of the field.
Charles Leclerc responded by stopping for intermediates, while Hamilton initially remained on the soft tyre as grip gradually began to improve. The contrasting decisions came during a particularly difficult period for Ferrari, with the team attempting to judge how quickly conditions would move towards slick tyres across a circuit that was still offering inconsistent levels of grip.
Hamilton nevertheless transformed his afternoon from that point. Strong pace from the SF-26 allowed him to work his way back through the field and eventually claim third place, while Leclerc completed a Ferrari three-four finish. The recovery once again highlighted the speed available from the car at Sepang, but it also made the damage from the opening strategy call more significant.
The weekend had already placed a major emphasis on tyre behaviour at Sepang, with Ferrari facing an important challenge in understanding how its car would perform on the available compounds. More background on that aspect of the event can be found in our analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds could suit the Ferrari SF-26.
Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari’s Sepang tyre decision
After the race, Fred Vasseur addressed Ferrari’s opening strategy and explained that the field had been almost evenly divided between intermediates and slicks. The Ferrari team principal indicated that judging conditions from the grid offered only a limited picture of the track and maintained that the decision had been made collectively with the information available at the time.
Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari had not possessed as much information as it would have liked when making the call. At the same time, he focused on the eventual outcome, arguing that the strategy ultimately recovered well and pointing to the team’s strong pace and the way both drivers managed their tyres during the race.
The final result was unquestionably valuable, with Ferrari securing third and fourth after such a difficult beginning. However, Hamilton’s speed after falling towards the back also suggested that an even bigger result had potentially been available. Starting on intermediates could have placed the 41-year-old in a much stronger position during the early laps and potentially allowed him to fight for victory rather than spend much of the race recovering lost ground.
Ferrari had several opportunities to reassess the conditions
Questions remain over whether Ferrari truly lacked enough information to make a different decision. Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto were among the drivers who changed tyres during the two-lap period before the standing start, demonstrating that teams still had an opportunity to react as the track conditions developed.
Hamilton was also providing information from inside the cockpit. As he explored more of the circuit, the Ferrari driver reported that the track remained slippery, giving the pit wall another indication of how difficult the opening laps could be on slick tyres. Trackside observations from around the circuit could also have provided a broader picture than the view of the asphalt around the grid alone.
Carlo Santi, the Briton’s race engineer, additionally referred to onboard footage from the safety car that showed dry areas of the track. That represented another piece of information available to Ferrari before the race began, even though conditions around the lap were clearly difficult to interpret consistently.
The combination of those inputs makes the opening tyre choice one of the key talking points from Ferrari’s weekend. The Scuderia ultimately rescued an excellent result, but the early loss of track position forced Hamilton into a comeback that might not have been necessary with a stronger initial call.
For a broader overview of the unusual event and its Sepang setting, see our 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang circuit guide.
Hamilton’s third place demonstrated that Ferrari had the race pace to recover from its strategic setback. It also strengthened the argument that the opening phase may have cost him an opportunity to challenge for what would have been his second victory of the season.
