Every time a completely new regulation has been announced in Formula One history, a new team emerged as the king of the era, mastering the new concepts. In 2026, when the FIA, the governing body of the sport, introduced a 50/50 electric/combustion power split and smaller, lighter cars, which basically resets the aerodynamics, the one team that seems to be adapting best to these changes is Ferrari.
The Prancing Horses are racing with a lot at stake: their dream of winning a title for the first time since 2008, the aspiration for the world record, an 8th title for the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc’s pursuit of his maiden title. In the second pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Ferrari outperformed all other teams.
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Compared to the last season when Ferrari often found themselves lost among the forlorn chasing pack finishing fourth, this new ‘Nimble car’ season, they appear to be ahead of the reigning champion McLarens. Also ahead of Mercedes somewhat in terms of pace and technical aspects.
Charles Leclerc set the overall fastest lap time of the event on the final day of testing with a 1:31.992 on medium (C3) and soft (C4) tyres, nearly 0.9 seconds clear of defending champion Lando Norris.
“The test day was very smooth, we ran through our programme and tested all the things we planned to”, said Leclerc in the post-event interview.
The newly launched rotating wings (270 degree flipping), and the intricate diffuser design that introduces the “mouse hole” slots in the lower bodywork of the SF-26, not only provide smooth long runs but also consistency in pace.
In terms of the chassis, complying with the new regulations, the Scuderia Ferrari’s car is 200mm shorter (3400mm wheelbase) and 100mm narrower (1900mm) than its predecessor.
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Lewis, who finished sixth last season in what was his maiden season with the Italian manufacturers and described the SF-25 as ‘hard to handle’, now seems to be ready for the ‘ hammer time’, buoyed by Ferrari’s performance in the pre-season testing.
“I’m not going anywhere, so stick with me,” he wrote on Instagram. “For a moment, I forgot who I was, but thanks to you and your support, you’re not going to see that mindset again.”
Those Sakhir sights! 🤩
Rounding out Pre-Season Testing in Bahrain for 2026 👊#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/Z0eFmA2FZH
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 22, 2026
Ex Mercedes strategy director, who is now Wllimas team principal, praised Ferrari’s exceptional run in the Sakhir desert. “Ferrari – they’re bringing out great innovations, they’re constantly developing,” said the Williams boss. “They’ve cleverly packaged the active aerodynamics in the endplates,” he added.
And the best thing about all this renewed Ferrari dream is that they are using everything legal, approved by the FIA. “We have, generally speaking, encouraged solutions that reduce drag. That’s why the DRS regulations of last year, which were limiting the amount of opening, have not been maintained this year,” said Nikolas Tombazis to the media.
“It is to give more freedom, and the Ferrari solution, we believe, is okay,” he added.
Mercedes is also coming as one of the favourites for their really good mileage and long runs. They have completed more laps (432 laps) than any other team.
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The rookie who finished 7th last year with the Silver Arrows secured the team’s fastest time (1:32.803) on Day 2, but the next day, the final day of the testing, his W-17 suffered technical issues and caused the only red flag of the event, ending his test prematurely.
“Every time there is an issue, it definitely sets you back quite a lot,” Kimi’s teammate George Russell shared his thoughts Friday morning.
The Mercedes ace, who showed consistency in his test with times often in the 1:36.4s–1:36.7s range, called this the “tallest hurdle” that they are trying to fix right now, but “we’re stumbling on some at the moment”, he added.
As for McLarens, they ranked among the top four teams but lagged behind both Ferrari and Mercedes. Their star driver, Lando Norris, identified areas for improvement in the MCL40.
In an interview with Planet F1, the Briton said, “At the minute, we’re a little bit off. So to match the race pace of some of the others, we have to push a bit more, and then we have more degradation.”
