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Ferrari are looking to put the woes of last season behind them, and after topping the timing sheets during the morning session of day two in Bahrain, will slowly be gaining more confidence in their winter developments.
Lewis Hamilton’s first morning in the car on Wednesday highlighted issues with the lack of grip that every team was experiencing.
His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was in the car during the afternoon session before starting off proceedings on Thursday, setting the benchmark time of a 1:34.273 after completing 60 laps.
Hamilton was among the drivers struggling in certain areas of the track, although the more time he spends on track in the SF-26, the more he’ll get used to a new driving style.
Bahrain pre-season day 1 done 💪
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Ferrari will want Hamilton and Leclerc to get up to speed as quickly as possible, but the majority of the work that they’re doing is to help the team identify any issues with the car and optimise battery deployment and adjustable parts.
However, while Ferrari appear to be one of the more conservative teams in terms of their car design, the SF-26’s diffuser stands out as one of the more ‘aggressive’ additions to this year’s machine.
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Ferrari have developed ‘aggressive’ diffuser extensions on their 2026 Formula 1 car
A report from Motorsport has shared more details about what’s going on with the back of Ferrari’s car this year.
A change in the 2026 regulations has allowed Ferrari to extend the sides of the diffuser structure in the hopes of improving the efficiency of the car and generating more downforce.
Mercedes and Williams are two teams that have followed a similar path to Ferrari in the development of their diffuser.
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However, neither team have been as ‘aggressive’ as the Scuderia, as on the SF-26, ‘the extractor extends beyond the horizontal support,’ allowing the part to attach to the rear wing’s support.
On top of this, Ferrari have also added two ‘small aerodynamic’ parts to the top of the ‘impact structure’, and because they’re not connected to the diffuser, this allows some downforce to be created at the back of the car.
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Charles Leclerc notes ‘productive’ first day of Bahrain testing with Ferrari
Leclerc and Hamilton could be one of the most interesting intra-team battles on the grid this year, with the Monegasque driver coming out on top last year.
There have been suggestions that the new ruleset could suit Leclerc more than his teammate, and while the very early signs suggest that might be the case, it’s far too early to be drawing those conclusions.
Speaking in his official post-test debrief on Wednesday, Leclerc said: “It was a productive half day of testing for me, as we were able to complete the programme without any major issues, which is always a positive at this stage.
“The feeling was quite different compared to Barcelona, as the conditions here are very different, but that’s exactly what we need, gaining experience on another track and understanding how the car behaves in different scenarios.
“So far, the data is broadly in line with what we expected from our simulations, which is encouraging. Now the focus is on continuing to work through the programme and making sure we are as prepared as possible for the first race.”
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