Ferrari secured second and fourth positions in qualifying for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, but Lewis Hamilton missed pole position despite producing one of his strongest laps since joining the Maranello team. A detailed comparison with Max Verstappen shows exactly where Ferrari gained through the corners and where Red Bull recovered the decisive time, while Charles Leclerc faced a very different problem with the balance of his SF-26.
Ferrari can approach the race with an attacking mindset after showing encouraging pace with fuel on board. The SF-26 has performed well in managing the extremely high tyre degradation seen in Malaysia, giving the team reason to believe it can remain competitive over the Grand Prix distance. The combination of qualifying telemetry and driver feedback, however, reveals why Lewis Hamilton could not convert Ferrari’s cornering advantage into pole and why Charles Leclerc struggled on his final lap.
Ferrari’s engine remains its main weakness in 2026
Ferrari’s biggest weakness this season continues to be its power unit, even after the ADUO updates helped recover approximately 20 horsepower. Expectations were higher at Sepang because the circuit layout rewards a strong front axle, an area where the SF-26 can perform well.
Once the cars arrived in Malaysia, another important characteristic became clear: tyre degradation was extremely high. That can help Ferrari further because the SF-26 has shown an ability to manage degradation effectively. A good qualifying balance combined with strong long-run pace therefore gives the Maranello team some hope of challenging for victory.
The tyre characteristics of the Malaysian venue also help explain why the weekend has looked more encouraging for Ferrari, as outlined in the analysis of why Pirelli’s Sepang compounds may suit the SF-26 better than Baku.
Red Bull dominates the straights while Ferrari leads through the corners
Federico Albano’s analysis presents a very clear picture. Max Verstappen’s pole position and Isack Hadjar’s third-fastest qualifying time, before the latter received a five-place grid penalty, underline Red Bull’s competitiveness over a single lap.
The latest updates have made the RB22 more predictable and easier to understand, but the real turning point appears to be aerodynamic efficiency. The Milton Keynes car now loses relatively little across different types of corners before exploiting its biggest strength on the straights.
Low drag is particularly important under the 2026 regulations, where energy conservation and straight-line speed are fundamental performance factors. The telemetry illustrates the contrast very clearly.
Max Verstappen was slower than Lewis Hamilton through virtually every type of corner, from the slow Turn 1-2 sequence at around 80 km/h to the high-speed Turns 6 and 7 at approximately 250 km/h. The losses were generally small, often only fractions of a tenth, but Red Bull then recovered substantial amounts of time on the acceleration zones.
The combination of the Red Bull Ford power unit and an aerodynamically efficient car allows the RB22 to use relatively little energy while maintaining very high straight-line performance. That leaves Max Verstappen able to concentrate primarily on extracting the car’s pace and managing the tyres.
Readers can compare these characteristics in greater detail through the ScuderiaFans F1 Qualifying Telemetry & Corner Comparison.
Ferrari SF-26 was the strongest car through Sepang’s corners
FormulaPassion.it reached the opposite conclusion when looking specifically at cornering performance, describing the Ferrari as clearly the strongest car through both slow and fast sections.
“The data shows unequivocally that the SF-26 was the best car through the corners, both slow and fast, but also that it suffered enormously on every straight. The high-downforce design philosophy clearly helps, but it is also worth noting that the large amount of available downforce can be adjusted differently between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, as well as according to the circuit and environmental conditions, in order to achieve the balance the drivers want. The price to pay is clearly higher drag compared with rivals running less absolute downforce, as well as, of course, the engine side, where Ferrari’s power unit continues to show the enormous deficit seen this year.”
That trade-off has become one of the defining characteristics of the SF-26. Ferrari can generate excellent grip and lateral performance, but the advantage through the corners is often reduced or cancelled once straight-line efficiency and energy deployment become decisive.
More analysis of the car’s evolving technical characteristics can be found in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Lewis Hamilton produces one of his best Ferrari qualifying laps
Lewis Hamilton delivered an exceptional final lap to secure a front-row start. It was one of his strongest qualifying performances since arriving at Maranello, combining precise corner attacks with ideal racing lines and excellent use of the SF-26’s strengths.
The middle sector was particularly impressive. Lewis Hamilton made a substantial difference there even compared with Charles Leclerc, who lost around four tenths to his teammate through that section of the circuit.
The British driver was able to rely heavily on the lateral grip provided by the SF-26, carrying high speed through the fast corners and using more energy in those sections. His final corner was another strong reference, with an ideal line and a car that appeared extremely well balanced.
Ferrari was therefore clearly the strongest package through the corners, but its weakness on the straights once again became decisive. It is a pattern that has already appeared several times during the 2026 season.
The result also adds another important qualifying data point to the season-long Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari had too much front-end bias
Charles Leclerc faced a different problem. The Monegasque acknowledged that he had loaded the front axle too aggressively. As the track evolved, the resulting balance left the rear of the SF-26 increasingly unstable, reducing his confidence as qualifying progressed.
The question now is whether that characteristic could actually become less problematic during the race.
Federico Albano explained: “The positive feeling from the car encouraged him to search for even more front-end response, moving the SF-26 towards a more aggressive front balance, particularly through the front-wing incidence. The problem is that in 2026, even on a circuit such as Sepang, having a very solid rear end remains fundamental, and the Monegasque progressively lost confidence in the rear of the car as the session and his final lap developed, with the rear tyres inevitably overheating.”
Federico Albano added: “The issue should be manageable in the race, but the interesting question heading into it is whether, over the long run, the thermal load on the tyres will shift more towards the front. At that point, it could provide a significant advantage for the Monegasque.”
That makes Charles Leclerc’s race outlook particularly interesting. The aggressive front-end balance that hurt his confidence over one qualifying lap may behave differently across longer stints once fuel load, tyre temperatures and thermal distribution begin to evolve.
Ferrari has reasons for optimism ahead of the Sepang race
The qualifying picture therefore presents Ferrari with both a limitation and an opportunity. Lewis Hamilton demonstrated that the SF-26 can be the benchmark through the corners when its balance is fully exploited, while Charles Leclerc’s difficulties appear to have been linked more closely to the balance he pursued than to a fundamental lack of performance.
Red Bull still holds a major advantage in aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line performance, allowing Max Verstappen to recover the time he loses through the corners. Ferrari, meanwhile, must rely on its superior cornering grip and encouraging tyre management to stay competitive over the race distance.
With degradation extremely high at Sepang, the characteristics that prevented Ferrari from taking pole may become less dominant once the race begins. The central question is whether the SF-26 can preserve its tyres well enough to exploit its cornering strength and put sustained pressure on Max Verstappen over the longer runs.
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