Ferrari secures front rows with Hamilton and Leclerc as tyre degradation may shift race dynamics
Ferrari finished Bahrain GP qualifying in Malaysia with Lewis Hamilton in second place and Charles Leclerc fourth following a penalty to Isack Hadjar. This was a positive result for the Scuderia, though the race will present a very different challenge compared to qualifying.
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Frédéric Vasseur praised Ferrari’s effort, especially highlighting Hamilton’s performance. “It was definitely a good qualifying session. Max seemed to be flying from the start of the weekend, so it was tough for us, but overall we put in two good laps,” the team principal stated.
Hamilton takes Ferrari into front row
The British driver’s second place is even more impressive given the precision required in managing tyres during the lap. Hamilton kept the tyres in the optimal range across all three sectors, extracting the best qualifying performance from the SF-26.
Vasseur, however, remained cautious about the outcome: “Tyre degradation will play a big role, and the race will be more crucial than qualifying position, but of course I prefer starting from the front row,” he commented.
The focus is mainly on tyre management, which will be one of the most delicate aspects of the race. The heat and abrasive track surface in Sepang make tyre behaviour over long stints hard to predict.
Ferrari did not have enough time to run a full simulation. “It’s quite difficult to read tyre wear over a longer stint because we didn’t get time to analyze that,” Vasseur explained.
Race strategy presents a different challenge
This uncertainty led teams to choose different strategies during qualifying. Ferrari used a set of medium tyres, a decision Vasseur linked primarily to their race plan needs.
“Everyone opted for different tyre choices tomorrow, and we immediately decided to use a set of mediums,” the Frenchman revealed. Tyre performance could rapidly change the balance seen in qualifying.
Hamilton will also have to contend with a particularly strong Verstappen over race distance. The Ferrari driver had already noted the difference: “Max was very fast in the race simulation,” he said.
Therefore, Ferrari must carefully manage tyre wear and maintain good car balance throughout the stints. Hamilton’s starting position offers a solid opportunity, but Vasseur understands the Sepang result will be decided largely by race strategy and tyre management.
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