By: Yes, really. During Saturday at the Bahrain GP, Ferrari showed it could operate like Mercedes, while the Stuttgart marque, for once, took on the traits of Italy’s historic Scuderia. What do we mean? The concept itself is highly complex. We can sum it up in one sentence, but naturally it is far more complicated than that.
Over a race weekend, it is extremely important to keep pace with the evolution of the track. The Kuala Lumpur circuit, chosen to host the Bahrain GP, was particularly dirty on Friday, also due to the agricultural activity taking place in the area at this time of year.
The challenge of keeping up with a changing track
When work begins on a circuit with a very green surface, as was the case here, the teams’ task is always rather complicated. The required set-up changes from session to session, and the team must be able to identify every step required to deliver the perfect qualifying lap. It is a process Ferrari have hardly ever managed to complete this year.
At the Bahrain GP weekend, however, a response was needed. The rumours surrounding team principal Vasseur had become so intense that a reaction was required. Ferrari’s answer came, and it was emphatic. Beating the W17s is no small achievement. After FP3, we had taken it for granted that Verstappen would be fighting Antonelli for pole. Instead, Ferrari operated like Mercedes and Mercedes like Ferrari.
A result worth far more than pole position
Hamilton was the driver who got closest to Verstappen, while Antonelli had to settle for fourth place, which will become P3 tomorrow because of Hadjar’s penalty for replacing power unit components.
It is a shame this miracle came on the wrong weekend. Mercedes are not beaten often, and today they lost out to both Red Bull and Ferrari. Unfortunately, in the one qualifying session in which Ferrari manage to beat Mercedes, Verstappen and Red Bull are capable of performing at their very best.
That does not, however, prevent us from congratulating the Italian Scuderia. Being able to reinvent themselves and turn an underwhelming FP3 into a high-level qualifying performance is not something everyone can do. There are signs of change, and that is a result worth far more than a possible pole position.
Cover and in-article photos by Peter Kiss / WHYOUT Images
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Bahrain GP 2026
