Ferrari’s chief, Fred Vasseur, warned that the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang will require the team to deviate from a plain‑sight monaco‑style race plan, insisting that the entire set‑up be geared toward sustaining high race pace under severe tyre degradation.
Tyre Degradation Forces a Switch
Vasseur said the Sepang International Circuit’s long straights and heavy braking demand an approach “different from the last four or five weeks of Monza, Madrid, and Baku.” He compared the new challenges to the high‑downforce compromise the team made in Baku, which still yielded a front‑row start.
Practice Leaders at Sepang
Max Verstappen and George Russell topped the first practice session, with George’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, following closely behind. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished the session in fourth and sixth places, a gap that Vasseur believes could widen when race‑stage degradation is factored into the cars’ balance.
Ferrari Faces a New Challenge
With only 160 points adrift of the Mercedes front‑line in the constructors’ standings, Ferrari must now “completely upend the recent competitive order,” according to Vasseur. The boss’s clear message: focus on a strong, consistent race lap time and be ready for the unpredictable bounce of tyre wear that Sepang brings, a stark contrast to the almost zero‑degradation tracks of recent weeks.
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