Ferrari’s opening Bahrain Grand Prix practice session at Sepang was primarily about understanding the SF-26, with FP1 revealing an acceptable baseline but also considerable work still required to find the right balance. The clearest warning concerned tyre degradation, an issue affecting the entire field as the Malaysian circuit subjected the compounds to severe wear and made effective tyre management a crucial part of the weekend.
For Ferrari, the challenge is therefore not simply to extract more performance from the car, but to understand how to keep the tyres working consistently while refining the SF-26’s handling. With Sepang placing particularly heavy demands on the Pirelli compounds, the opening session immediately reinforced why tyre behaviour at Sepang could become decisive for Ferrari throughout the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
Ferrari tyre degradation emerges as the dominant FP1 concern
“The degradation is absurd.” That was the first significant indication to emerge from Ferrari’s onboard running. It was particularly noteworthy because the observation came after only six laps, during which the Maranello drivers alternated between quick laps and cool-down laps. Tyre management therefore looks set to become one of the defining elements of the entire Malaysian weekend.
The challenge goes beyond simply bringing the compounds up to temperature and keeping them within their optimal operating window. Ferrari must also use the tyres in a way that limits the rate of wear as much as possible, which will be essential for maintaining consistent performance over a stint. The significance is even greater because the SF-26s were running on Medium tyres, a compound that can last considerably longer on other circuit layouts. At Sepang, that does not appear to be the case.
The difficulty of interpreting the Ferrari’s balance during the first FP1 run was increased by the condition of the circuit. The track surface was very dirty and the available grip was consequently far from ideal. Even so, the initial setup appeared acceptable, although the SF-26 showed a tendency to lack rotation on corner entry, particularly through the faster sections.
Ferrari studies SF-26 setup to improve handling
Ferrari switched to Soft tyres for its second run, providing an opportunity to assess both the additional grip and the corresponding increase in degradation. The lap times from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were reasonably competitive, while the red-walled Pirelli tyres delivered a clear increase in grip compared with the previous Medium-tyre running.
Charles Leclerc performed better than Lewis Hamilton during this phase, although the gap between the Ferrari team-mates remained below two tenths of a second. The SF-26 has no major upgrades at Sepang beyond a small update around the wheel-corner area. Red Bull and, especially, Mercedes have instead brought several significant new developments aimed at improving performance, suggesting that Ferrari could face a generally difficult weekend.
The broader technical development of the car remains an important theme for Maranello, with further coverage available in our Ferrari technical analysis section.
The Ferrari Soft-tyre run was divided into several separate attempts because the compound needed time to recover, with double cool-down laps repeatedly inserted between faster laps. At the same time, the usual setup work continued as the engineers gathered further information about the SF-26’s handling characteristics.
Among the parameters being studied were the hybrid mappings and settings affecting the car’s rotation. Both are important for managing traction effectively without placing excessive stress on the tyres. The braking system was another important area of work.
Braking is crucial not only for outright lap-time performance but also for recharging the battery pack. A similar principle applies to the pre-mapped configurations activated through the paddles behind the steering wheel. Both Ferrari cars were also running the three-element bargeboard specification, designed to generate the highest level of load.
Ferrari shows more degradation than McLaren and Mercedes
For the final run of Bahrain Grand Prix FP1 at Sepang, both Ferrari drivers returned to the track on Soft tyres. Small suspension adjustments had been made during the pit stop, while the tyres were the same used set that had already completed running during the previous phase of the session.
A slight degree of instability became apparent through the middle of the faster corners. The SF-26 also showed some difficulty consistently hitting the apex, together with occasional excess rotation on corner exit. These characteristics were linked to a mechanical and aerodynamic compromise that had not yet been perfected, combined with tyre grip that, although reasonably good, remained some distance from its optimal operating window.
Ferrari also tested different hybrid mappings in an attempt to optimise the deployment of energy regenerated by the MGU-K. This parameter is expected to be another important factor as the team continues refining the car during the weekend.
During the closing laps, Ferrari completed a short stint with a higher fuel load, which confirmed the handling characteristics already observed earlier in the session. The opening encounter with Sepang therefore ended with a substantial amount of data collected, but also with a clear conclusion: finding the correct compromise to extract the maximum from the SF-26 will be anything but straightforward.
With tyre degradation, fuel load and evolving track conditions all influencing the picture, the relative performance from the practice sessions can also be examined through the F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis. Further session times and circuit information are available in the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.
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