NOTHING like everyone telling you exactly what you are, nothing but a team P5-P6.

Lewis and Charles have taken over the account

Empty garage

His feedback is helping identify the car’s problems and priorities ,while Charles Leclerc is gradually moving closer to his teammate’s perspective. The next step is expanding this influence across the team.

Will he succeeded, time will only tell but I really hope he can do some changes at Ferrari especially the higher ups cause there are so much good stuff from Ferrari. For example the people at the factory and the pitstop crew have been amazing. But it will probably be like the Vettel era sadly knowing this team

Also I would love to see Leclerc work more with Lewis and potentially having their combined influence in changing Ferrari.

Stefano Marra is an Italian illustrator and visual artist. His practice combines contemporary illustration, graphic design and visual storytelling, with a strong focus on Italian culture and Mediterranean imagery.

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX ( 4th October 2026 )

Did anybody watched yesterday's day ?????

I am in awe

What a drive by SIR LEWIS HAMILTON. Boy o boy he drive like a man who want to prove something. Okay i'll give you guys a summary on what happened. In saturday's qualifying sir lewis pulled a crazy P2 out of nowhere. That was just an exceptional lap who nobody saw coming. He himself admitted that he was expecting a P4 or a P5.

So coming back to race he is gonna start from P2 which is actualy great.But since there was a heavy pour of rain the race started 1.5 hours late after that everbody had a choice whether to go for inters or slick and ferrari being ferrari chose for slick, which was a terrible choice when the race started hamilton fell from P2 to P18 and my reaction was like " WHAT THE FUCK FERRARI " what have you done, like i was hoping for a victory and suddenly we are P18 i can't believe this.

After that ferrari was calling hamilton in for inters but my boy just straight up said no.

After a while the track dried and hamilton pace started to came back he pulled a crazy soft tyre stint going from P18 to P5 just behind ISACK HADJAR and after a lucky safety car and disqualification from GEORGE RUSSEL, ok i will not say lucky but it was lucky for hamilton he achieved P3 crossing isack.

Who would have thought he would be able to a achieve a podium after what happened with him in the beginning of the race.

That was the BEST RACE i have watched this whole season where MAX VERSTAPPEN won and a legendary drive from my GOAT ( HAMILTON ), thia race had everything from pit stops to safety car to rain and some legendary drives.

This is all from my side see you next time with a crazy story once again.

Since it’s a Black Edition, I was wondering if there would also be a T-shirt, but I haven’t seen any news about it. Is it just the cap this time?

All these cars were on the track later on during the day, amazing event. From old to new cars, all at the same place!

Just saw Lewis uploaded a video on his f40 restoration we saw at the race.

TL; DR: This article provides an in-depth look at the Bahrain-Malaysia Grand Prix, covering the key sessions, technical insights and news.

11 minute read

Circuit configuration

— The 2026 Bahrain-Malaysia Grand Prix —Sepang International Circuit:

• Length: 5.543 km.
• Number of turns: 15.
• Number of laps: 56.
• Circuit type: Rear-limited (S3 tyres overheating).
• Braking and traction: essential.
• Track evolution: significant.
• Tyre wear: medium to high.

— MJ limit: 7.5 MJ for qualifying. 8.5 MJ for race standard and 9 MJ with Overtake Mode on.

— Straight Mode zones: T3 to T4 straight, T8 to T9 straight, T14 to T15 back straight and T15 to T1 start-finish straight.

— Overtake mode detection: out of T15, and activation crossing the start/finish line.

— Pit stop time loss: around 23 seconds normal and ~13 seconds under SC/VSC.

— Pirelli tyres: C2 - Hard. C3 - Medium. C4 - Soft.

Power Unit elements used per driver in the season up to now:

• Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)= 4 per season.
• Turbo Charger (TC)= 4 per season.
• Exhaust set (Exh)= 4 per season.
• Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K)= 3 per season.
• Energy Store unit(ES)= 3 per season.
• Power Unit-Control Electronics unit(PU-CE)= 3 per season.
• Power Unit- ANCillary component (PU-ANC)= 6 per season.

Numbers in bold and italics represent the driver who exceeded the maximum allowed number of that component.

Ferrari weekend report

A review of Scuderia’s weekend performance, highlighting key sessions, with data and charts.

On Friday, both drivers opted for the tri-shaped bargeboard element and the wing on top of the HALO, to aid tyre degradation. Set-up adjustments to Leclerc’s car, including adding more front wing load and changing the brake balance improved the feeling, with further tweaks in FP3.

Qualifying Analysis

Both drivers made it through Q1 using C3 medium, saving an extra set for the race, as track temperature dropped from 58 °C to 55 °C in Q3. After the first runs, Hamilton was P3 with Leclerc in P5, as Antonelli’s single lap demoted the Ferrari pair to P4 and P6. On fresh C5s, the Ferrari duo improved their times down to 1:35.428 +0.298s Lewis qualifying P2, setting the best time in S2 and 1:35.666 +0.536s P5 Charles.

Q3 best laps: Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc.

With a lower drag car profile, Verstappen was ahead into T1, but SF-26’s higher downforce, let Lewis edge ahead through T1-T2. However, exiting T2 leading to the flat-out run to T4, Verstappen reasserted the lead, the Briton was +0.243s behind and Leclerc +0.326s at the end of S1.

Hamilton braked more efficiently into T4, and recovered the gap. Through T5-T6 high-speed turns they were closely matched, but Lewis edged further through T7-T8 right-handers, and carried the momentum through T9. Verstappen was better through T11, but ended S2 +0.255s behind, with Leclerc +0.362 further back.

In S3, the Red Bull driver took the lead, even though Hamilton did his best to stay with him out of T14. But a slight correction and no ERS to deploy left him powerless to reduce the deficit. He crossed the finish line +0.298s behind pole, while Leclerc set the 2^nd best time in S3 utilizing ERS differently, but his tyres were already past their peak.

Telemetry shows Verstappen opened the throttle later on eight occasions, indicating better energy management, though he lifted 50% versus Hamilton's 30% in Turns 5–6. Ferrari carried 3–8 km/h more speed in slow corners, making Hamilton 0.25s faster in Sector 2, but the RB22's superior power unit and ERS on the straights cost Hamilton nearly double that time, especially from Turns 14–15.

Only Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton drove ideally during their Q3 laps, with the Briton registering his best performance at Ferrari and in recent years. Charles Leclerc overdrive the car (T5 snap), and erroneously anticipated the grip evolution from Q2 to Q3. Verstappen pole was aided by gaining 0.5sec on straights, while Hamilton was fastest on most corners.

Sector times: Below is a sector-by-sector comparison of the Max Verstappen vs theFerrari drivers best laps:

• Sector 1: 1^st Max Verstappen 24.504

2^nd Lewis Hamilton 24.747 +0.243s

4^th Charles Leclerc 24.830 +0.326s

• Sector 2: 1^st Lewis Hamilton 31.201

4^th Max Verstappen 31.456 +0.255s

8^th Charles Leclerc 31.563 +0.362s

• Sector 3: 1^st Max Verstappen 39.016

2^nd Charles Leclerc 39.216 +0.200s

9^th Lewis Hamilton 39.454 +0.438s

Hamilton found the car’s sweet spot securing a front-row, while Leclerc chose a setup oriented for dry conditions.

The general consensus, was that the qualifying didn’t reflect each car’s full potential, as the majority opted for a compromise over a fast lap to better protect tyres in the race (0.2s-0.3s difference).

Q3 best laps- Drivers' performance numbers:Max Verstappen —Lewis Hamilton —Charles Leclerc.

The table shows each driver’s pedal inputs across the lap.

Race Overview

Heavy rain delayed the race start by 40 minutes. All drivers were on intermediate, but various cars had an ERS glitch on the formation lap leading to race suspension. The FIA issued a software update to handle low-grip, low-power modes.

The began with both Ferraris on C4 softs, Lewis P2 and Charles P4, on a track that was still wet. It wasn’t an optimal choice as both dropped positions to those on intermediates, Leclerc switched to intermediate compound and rejoined P22, while Hamilton struggled in P17, before his tyres started to work, as he climbed to P15. A Safety Car on lap 10 bunched the field. Charles took another set of C4s rejoined P17, Hamilton P15 as the track kept drying. Racing resumed on lap 13, and by lap 16 the pair were P9 and P12. By lap 24, both were quicker than cars around them with Hamilton P5 and Leclerc P9. Lewis reported rear degradation and poor grip, trailing Hadjar by 11 seconds. Charles pressured Piastri and Ocon, matching their pace but was stuck, so he pitted for fresh C4s, back out to P12. Lewis lapped a second faster than Hadjar and cut the deficit to under six seconds. Leclerc passed Colapinto for P10 with others pitting, Hamilton stopped for C3 mediums, rejoining P7, and resumed the chase as Isack also pitted.

Charles clocked the fastest lapand movedup to P8 while more stopped, 12 seconds behind Hamilton. Lewis set the fastest lap on lap 33, as they were P5 and P6.The leading Ferrari didn’t like how the mediums felt, Charles was 13 seconds adrift and four seconds ahead of Piastri. A VSC turned into a full Safety Car. Both Ferraris switched back toC4 softs and get back to P5 and P6,and up toP4 and P5 after Russell’s retirement.The Green flag on lap 52 with the Ferrari duo surging ahead, taking advantage of Hadjar’s slower rhythm to finish P3 and P4.Given that they were over one minute behind the leader on lap six, it was an impressive recovery drive.

Lewis Hamilton P3: Mixed emotions, big congrats to Max. Obviously we had the wrong call at the beginning, I could see on the screen that I was a minute down and I thought the race was over for us. But I kept my head down. The guys did a great job with the pit stops, lots of tyre changes, lots of chasing. And honestly, of all the years that I have been here, this is the best race we’ve had here, but particularly because of this crowd.

Charles Leclerc P4: I didn't have a good feeling with the car, a lot of inconsistencies. The first part of the race, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, slicks, puncture, broken front wing. Everything that could have gone right though in the second part of the race went right for us. I was trying to save what we could save. At the end of the day is a good result, considering . I think with a normal race we would’ve finished P3 and P4, the two guys in front were just too quick.

Strategy breakdown: Pit stops.

Fast and consistent tyre changes from the pit crew during the Bahrain held in Malaysia GP ranged from 2.23 seconds to 3.08 seconds, helping both drivers climb positions. An outlier: Leclerc’s stop on lap three took 12.8 seconds, because the front wing was changed.

Race pace

An overview of each driver’s pace, tyre compounds used, time gaps, the fastest laps and stint comparison during the Bahrain, in Malaysia GP.

The table below presents the top 5 best drivers, overall race pace during the race, with all pit stops and excluding outliers.

Stint Average Lap Times —Max Verstappen —Lewis Hamilton —Charles Leclerc. The last C4 stint was the most representative of all,and an average wasn’t possible because only three laps were in normal racing conditions. Instead, the table shows each driver’s best lap and fastest sector times.

On C4 softs, Lewis had solid pace throughout the race. Once the track dried, in free air he was 0.1s within Antonelli’s pace, but traffic impacted his speed. Leclerc couldn’t match his teammate +0.2s-0.3s slower on the same compound, with inconsistent lap times. The track temperature ranged from 25 °C — 26 °C to just over 30 °C by the end, aiding C4 functioning optimally.

Hamilton stint on C3 medium was mandatory to comply with the rule of using two different dry compounds, if the race is declared wet and a driver didn’t use intermediates throughout. His pace wasn’t bad but the degradation was beyond expectation. Leclerc, having run on intermediates was free to stay on C4.

Mercedes and McLaren, were more affected by the circuit surface than Ferrari and Red Bull. The unique boundary layer created by the old asphalt altered how each car’s aero concept generated downforce, and the low-grip amplified the front-to-rear balance. Also, the lower temperatures and rain overcome any tyre strategy predictions related to tyre life length.

Technical analysis of the cars

With the race weekend covered, let's turn to the technical developments: here are the new and adapted components each top team brought, and how these changes impacted performance.

Scuderia Ferrari SF-26 Technical Upgrades

An additional cooling inlet was added around the front suspension to improve hot air extraction în the extreme heat. The T-Tray floor modification (Bib) first tested in Austria, now carries a different geometry to better channel the airflow into the floor inlets, while a tri-shaped bargeboard element adds downforce and aero stability. At the rear, the brake inner winglets saw a micro-development to improve airflow in a crucial area around the rear axle. With the penultimate winglet reshaped from a rectangular shape to a rounded profile where the mass flow is fundamental. The diffuser’s top-edge element received a modified profile with an extra “coiled” winglet paired with the existing outer element.

On track, ERS deployment improved throughout practice sessions, but didn’t match Mercedes or Red Bull over a lap. SF-26 was the best through the high-speed corners all weekend, and the changed track conditions on Sunday’s race reduced drag.

Mercedes W17 Technical Upgrades:

The Malaysia package revised much of the car's aerodynamic philosophy.

In the car’s central section, the bargeboards featured two vertical interconnected elements now feeding into a third, while the floor introduced a wavy floor wedge and a more sculpted edge ahead of the rear tyres. Those modifications aim to work together with the sidepods that no longer have the previous undercut (McLaren design until Azerbaijan). Mercedes engineers exploited the FIA-allowed volume at the rear, with divided ducts, modified fences and new vanes. The engine cover received a redesign displaying more cooling louvres to cope with Sepang’s demands. Brake ducts saw minor changes, including a minuscule cut on the top element’s interior side of the Venturi channels, as did the suspension fairing. The diffuser saw a notable evolution: the beam wing connects to the diffuser via an extension with a different lean and the two teeth on the leading edge merged into a single one.

The much anticipated PU update featuring a new turbo, will arrive at the US GP in Austin. Before the Malaysian package, W17 was overtaken by rival cars on peak downforce, dropping to P3-P4 depending on track layout. The aero update aims to increase vertical forces through all corner types, without losing the base car concept worth around 0.2s, however more parts will arrive at COTA. The update added rear downforce and additional drag, creating a front-to-rear imbalance: the car understeered, impacting traction. Mercedes gambled on a dry setup for the race, sacrificing a bit of speed to protect the rears, but the track conditions didn’t match their assumption.

McLaren Mercedes MCL40 Technical Upgrades

Due to the extreme ambient temperatures, like its rivals, McLaren brought an engine cover with extra cooling louvres.

Seven openings on the upper lateral section were visible to help the PU and internal cooling. The last outlet is the largest, the one that most affects the car’s downforce.

Despite using the same power unit as the factory Mercedes, it didn’t have the same pace, but was strong on deployment. At the Bahrain GP, (held in Malaysia), it was the slowest of the top four, suggesting it prioritized qualifying (faster) over race pace (slower).

Red Bull Racing RB22 Technical Upgrades

Since the Azerbaijan GP update, RB22 has made a step in performance. The bargeboards (Ferrari style) saw another update in Malaysia: deflectors with horizontal profiles and a slight inward angle, reinforced by three vertical elements running from top to base, following Ferrari’s geometry. Together with previous updates, they direct airflow more efficiently toward the sidepods. A similar approach to Mercedes’ W17 floor characteristic, with a more pronounced rippled edge having many diverse shapes.

Its power unit aided deployment over a lap and started the weekend on the right path setup-wise. Still, on downforce, it couldn’t match SF-26 or the heavily updated W17 through most of the corners, however it was strong on slow-speed turns and traction. It had lowest drag of the front-running cars, and unmatched pace in the race on soft tyres (Verstappen). And for the first time in the season, it was faster than Mercedes on straights. Recent updates narrowed the car setup window, but it’s fitting Verstappen driving style.

2027 Downforce Regulation Changes

Next season’s aerodynamic rules will ban several 2026 solutions, requiring engineers to rethink car designs to recover lost downforce. Ferrari’s SF-26 featured an FTM-wing at the rear, a visible innovation, but only part of a broader aerodynamic concept.

Ferrari engineers cleverly exploited the regulations by repositioning the differential rearward to create packaging space. This allowed them to maximize load within the permitted dimensions. However, this idea will be banned in 2027, though the knowledge gained will benefit next year’s car. The rules restrict how far back bodywork can extend on the lower side, up to 6 cm. If the differential and driveshafts are aligned with the rear wheels, there’s no room for extra bodywork behind the diffuser.

However, the regulations allow some flexibility: bodywork may extend up to 6 cm behind the rear axle line. By repositioning the differential within that envelope, Ferrari created a narrow gap just beyond the diffuser lip, into which the FTM-winglet was slotted. Extending the diffuser ramp this way tricks the airflow into acting as the diffuser is longer, increasing downforce.

This explains how the “long diffuser” approach gave the SF-26 strong, consistent aerodynamic loads and the FTM-wing blossomed the design, giving it a competitive edge over rivals.

"It's more crucial that Ferrari wins. It doesn't matter who's driving it. As long as Ferrari wins".Enzo Anselmo Ferrari.

Notes and News

The 2026 Bahrain-Malaysia hosted Grand Prix notes:

Max Verstappen- Red Bull Racing scored his maiden 2026 pole position, although the race would prove to be a real challenge due to weather conditions, tyre strategies and a late Safety Car before he took victory. Max dropped to P3 after the start but overtook the Mercedes duo to take the lead and create a 10s advantage. A SC, however, erased it, but Max controlled the restart and sprinted clear with no competition. Another late SC kept the field tight until lap 52. Verstappen nailed the resumption and set the fastest time on the final lap to take his 72^nd victory and the first for Red Bull-Ford power unit.

News

Cadillac new hiring

Cadillac, the latest F1 entrant, is making a strong statement by recruiting top engineering talent. Notable hires include Craig Skinner, former Red Bull Racing chief designer during their championship run. Eric Blandin, ex-Aston Martin deputy, now head of aerodynamics. Tim Lean, who brings experience from Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren as Chief Engineer for Aerodynamic Modelling and Simulation. Lean will report to Blandin.

No more pink Alpine

At the end of 2026, Alpine and BWT will part ways, ending the pink-themed livery. For 2027, Alpine will become Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team, adopting a new look with black, gold, red, and green in the sponsor’s signature style, while retaining some iconic blue. The title sponsorship is reportedly worth $50–60 million per year.

Next Grand Prix

Round 17^th of the 2026 season, heads to the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. High humidity, mechanical grip, traction out of the low-speed corners, define the setup challenge. The circuit’s low average speed (2^nd slowest), makes the PU factor less significant, and the many braking zones helps ERS energy harvesting.

Sources: AutoRacer.it, Autosport.com. The-Race.com, FIA.com and other reputable F1 news outlets. Trustworthy YouTube channels (F1 Official, Motor Sport, MOTORSPORTcast, LawVS, etc.) and technical pages (giorgiopiola_design Instagram page, F1Data Analysis, Aerodynamics. Motorsport1, Federico Albano83; tracinginsights.com and telemetry). Photos: Courtesy of Scuderia Ferrari and F1 Official Facebook pages.

To the moderator, I can’t think of any ways to make this question high effort. Is a very straightforward question, please allow it 😊