Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that Ferrari will review its costly opening tyre decision from the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang after the Scuderia’s gamble on Soft tyres left both cars almost two minutes behind the leaders before an impressive recovery to third and fourth.
The decision was made before the start in Malaysia, when the circuit remained partially damp. Ferrari opted to send Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc out on the red-walled Soft compound, but neither driver could generate sufficient grip while the track was still too wet for the tyre choice to work effectively.
Lewis Hamilton had doubts over Ferrari’s Sepang tyre gamble
Hamilton admitted after the race that he had not been completely convinced by the recommendation from the pit wall because he still considered the circuit wet. Ferrari’s gamble ultimately failed as the surface took longer than expected to dry, costing both cars significant time during the opening phase.
The scale of the setback was severe, with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc eventually falling almost two minutes behind the leaders. Yet the race changed dramatically from there. Safety Car periods gave Ferrari an opportunity to recover, while the SF-26 showed strong pace on the Soft tyres once conditions became more suitable.
The unusual conditions formed part of a complicated Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang, where weather and tyre behaviour repeatedly influenced the competitive picture.
Ferrari recovers to P3 and P4 after difficult start
Despite the disastrous opening phase, Hamilton eventually climbed back to third place, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth. Ferrari took advantage of the Safety Car periods, but the recovery was also supported by the underlying performance of the SF-26.
Hamilton praised the team’s management of the race after the initial mistake, particularly the strategy and pit-stop execution following the first Safety Car. From that point onwards, he felt Ferrari operated cleanly and gave him the opportunity to work his way back towards the front.
The tyre choice nevertheless remained a clear subject for discussion. Asked about the decision after the podium, the seven-time world champion joked that he would not be joining the people responsible for the call at a casino, reflecting the scale of the gamble Ferrari had taken.
The team’s choice was particularly significant because the Sepang tyre compounds and their suitability for the SF-26 had already been an important consideration heading into the Malaysian weekend.
Lewis Hamilton expects open Ferrari talks before next race
Hamilton confirmed that Ferrari would hold an open discussion about what happened. His emphasis, however, was not on assigning blame. Instead, he expressed pride in the mechanics, engineers and wider team personnel working across the race weekend and stressed that everyone remained fully committed.
The British driver acknowledged that there are areas Ferrari still needs to improve and made clear that the team is not denying those weaknesses. The intention is to analyse the Sepang incident constructively, retain the positive lessons and arrive at the next event better prepared.
One of those positives was the competitiveness of the car itself. Hamilton felt the SF-26 was extremely strong during parts of the race and, at certain stages, appeared capable of being the fastest car on track.
That left the seven-time world champion believing a stronger result may have been possible without the opening gamble. He felt Ferrari could potentially have fought Max Verstappen for victory in Malaysia and suggested another opportunity could arrive at the following race.
For Ferrari, the Sepang weekend therefore produced two contrasting lessons. The initial tyre decision caused an enormous loss, but the subsequent recovery demonstrated both strong operational execution and encouraging race pace. More developments involving the British driver can be followed in the Lewis Hamilton Ferrari news section.
The immediate priority will now be understanding why the team committed to the Soft tyre strategy while the circuit remained too wet and ensuring the same type of judgement can be improved in future changing conditions. At the same time, Ferrari leaves Malaysia knowing that the SF-26 had enough pace to recover both cars into the top four despite the scale of the early setback.
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