A Ferrari Fan's Opinion On Final Bahrain Pre-Season Test Sessions

After three days of testing in Bahrain, the F1 2026 season is done with these somewhat boring sessions. I don’t hate testing, as we learnt a thing or two about the Ferrari package, but you can’t beat the feeling of a real race weekend. However, I thought I’d list out some of my key takeaways from the Bahrain testing sessions, and how I feel about Ferrari’s chances of success this season.

Firstly, I’m not an engineer, I’m an avid member of the Tifosi dedicated to following Ferrari across various series. So keep that in mind when I discuss any of the technical elements of the car. But I’ve been watching motorsport all my life and I’m semi-decent at sim racing, so it’s not like I know nothing about the cars…right?

The Ferrari SF-26’s Drivability

To me, the SF-26 looks like one of the most stable cars on the grid from a drivability perspective. I can count on one hand the number of errors I’ve seen from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc across the six individual testing sessions. When entering a corner, the drivers seem in complete control of the car, with even the exits looking strong - which is extra difficult this year because of the new car design. Turn one at Bahrain caught out many cars. However, we were much more consistent than most teams, with even the current F1 Constructors’ champions McLaren, making more noticeable errors than the Ferraris. 

The SF-26 also seems very easy to get off the line, and our small turbo will apparently increase our performance in the slower corners too. The smaller turbo could be the reason our car looks so great when cornering, which is really going to help us at tracks which don’t depend on top speed, as this will probably be our weakness this season. But I think having a car that’s this approachable at the beginning of the year puts Ferrari in a wonderful position ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March.

A Ferrari Built For Races, Not Qualifying?

As mentioned, I have a feeling that the car Ferrari has built is much more focused towards race performance than blistering one-lap pace. We don’t look ridiculously slow, however, with the small turbo and comfortability in slower corners, I have a feeling that we won’t always be starting on the front row this season. This isn’t necessarily a negative though, as to be honest, I would much rather do well in the race than qualifying, as the race is where the points are handed out anyway!

Reliability Looks Great

Besides Ferrari keeping Lewis Hamilton’s car hidden away for several hours across multiple testing sessions, the Ferrari looks extremely reliable. We’ve had no issues on the track and have clocked in hundreds of laps across the three days in Bahrain. This is another amazing sign for our race performance, as we won’t be let off with throwing away valuable points this season, with so many cars already looking competitive. I believe Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull will all be expecting to do well this year, meaning having a reliable car might give us the edge come the end of the season. 

If Hamilton’s delays were nothing to worry about, I think we have been one of the more successful teams during testing in terms of reliability. If we compare Ferrari to a team like Aston Martin, I think it’s clear to see that we are miles ahead of them. The Prancing Horses haven’t publicly noted any issues during the testing sessions, with only the Hamilton situation raising concerns. But this is great news for our drivers, as they both need to be confident in the car not breaking down after all their hard work during the race weekends.

Both Drivers Seem Happy With The Car

We all saw how unhappy Lewis Hamilton was last season, and with good reason. His performances weren’t up to scratch, and ‌the team could have done better to help the situation. However, coming into the 2026 season, Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Ferrari all seem to be very positive. LH has publicly stated his enjoyment and is laser-focused on making up for last season’s performances. I’m very excited to see what a hyper-motivated Hamilton can do behind the wheel of a competitive Ferrari.

This doesn’t let Leclerc off lightly, as he has been with us for many years now, and we are still yet to see a Drivers’ world championship or Constructors’ title during his time at Ferrari. If we are as competitive as I think we are, Charles has the least amount of excuses if the results don’t come in. Hamilton also has to lift his weight, but I can be slightly more lenient on him given his limited time with the car, but he also needs to improve from last season.

Are Ferrari A Front-Runner On The 2026 F1 Grid?

Yes. I believe Ferrari will be a front-runner this year. I know it’s early, but from what they’ve allowed us to see, we have every reason to be competitive. The SF-26 looks reliable, stable, and consistent, which just means we need two competitive drivers to get the results. I also believe we have those, as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are among the best drivers on the grid. It might sound harsh, but we need results this year, and if the car is no longer the issue, we will have to look at our driver lineup. It’s been 18 years since Ferrari last won the F1 Constructors’ championship, and I want that to end soon.

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts about Ferrari’s performance during the test sessions in Bahrain this week!