The three days of testing in Bahrain gave us a SF-25 that performed well on a single lap but had some balance issues during the race pace.
The three days of F1 testing in Bahrain have concluded, and now the teams will need to work with the vast amount of data collected during the various sessions in preparation for Australia. The atypical weather conditions certainly didn’t help with consistency, but the performance levels are starting to take shape, at least for the first part of a season that promises to be highly competitive and exciting.
And Ferrari? The SF-25 of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc never fully lit up during the three days of testing, but it did offer some important glimpses to assess the car’s behavior. Compared to the previous model, Ferrari’s new car seems to have made a significant upgrade in terms of single-lap performance, which had been a problem in the previous season, especially when it came to getting the softer tire compound up to temperature.
When analyzing the various frames of race pace simulations, Ferrari appeared quite unstable at the rear, showing signs of oversteer in the final part of the Sakhir circuit, at least on the first day. The feeling, therefore, is that Ferrari needs to fine-tune its setup in race pace simulations, and a balancing effort (with the help of the simulator) will be done in preparation for the first race of the season.
Looking into the details of the race pace simulation, in the first stint, the difference between McLaren and the top teams was fairly small, with Lando Norris able to gain only a little over Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull drivers. A more cautious approach, particularly from Charles Leclerc, allowed the Monegasque driver to make significant progress during the simulation carried out in the afternoon session of the second day.
Another important topic is tire degradation, which affected the performance of all teams during the final laps of the various simulations. Analyzing the telemetry, McLaren appeared more drivable and faster in the corners compared to the SF-25, with an average gain of 3-5 km/h over Leclerc and Hamilton. This was thanks to a car with a more stable rear end, allowing Lando Norris to have less degradation in the simulation on the second day—he was the only driver in the whole grid to achieve this.
While these are small details, in a season that promises to be very competitive, they can make a big difference on every circuit. However, Ferrari can count on better performance in high aerodynamic load zones, thanks to a stiffer setup implemented during this week. While in the first stint McLaren didn’t make much progress over Ferrari, in the second stint, the Papaya car opened up a significant gap over the SF-25.
Leclerc’s car, with a lighter fuel load, struggled more in the slower corners of the circuit, causing the tires to fall outside their ideal operating window. In fact, throughout the entire Turn 1, the Monegasque lost 15 km/h to Norris. The stiffer setup also affected corner exit speeds, where Ferrari was one of the slowest cars in this area.
In the afternoon work carried out by Lewis Hamilton yesterday, Ferrari’s focus shifted toward improving these areas, starting with the speed of entry and exit in the slower corners, as well as evaluating the behavior of the SF-25 and its rear end.
Lewis Hamilton’s cautious optimism contrasts slightly with Charles Leclerc’s realism. Both drivers have pointed to McLaren as the car to beat, but according to the Englishman, the difference with Ferrari is minimal. The Monegasque, on his part, preferred to stay grounded, given the atypical track conditions, with rather cold temperatures and light rain that affected part of the second day of testing.
Essentially, the SF-25 is a revolutionary car in its concepts compared to other top teams. The issues related to single-lap performance seem to have been overcome, but when it comes to race pace, finding a balance that allows both drivers to compete on equal terms with McLaren, which currently appears to be slightly ahead, will be crucial.
