Ferrari stun rivals with aggressive F1 decisions

Ferrari was one of the key stories from Bahrain pre-season testing, not because Charles Leclerc set the fastest time on the final day, but for the team's different approach to preparing for the new season.

If a single word can be used to describe the impression Ferrari left after testing, it would be "concrete."

It would be wrong to say that the team was hiding its pace, with the word in the paddock being that it was, in fact, Mercedes sandbagging its true pace, but at the same time, it was clear that Ferrari's testing programme was uninterrupted and solid, and also involved the testing of some parts not for immediate use, showing the confidence oozing through the team and the fundamental core of the SF-26 project.

Both the 'upside down' 270° rear wing and the exhaust winglet highlight a very bold interpretation of the regulations, albeit fully legal.

In particular, it is clear that these solutions have been studied since the beginning of the project and are an integral part of the package, although interchangeable. In short, it appears Ferrari competitve advantage at the moment appears to be it has read the regulations and discovered not only the areas it can exploit to the full, but also the dangers to avoid. 

For example, the elimination of the MGU-H from the power units has highlighted the problem of recharging the battery, but also that of turbo lag.

To get around this, Ferrari has opted for a smaller turbo than its rival, a clever move which is aiding the rocket starts achieved in testing.

The SF-26 has significantly better acceleration at the start than its rivals, which also helps through the super clipping phase of charging the battery whilst still on the throttle at the end of straights or in fast corners.

It can therefore be said that both the Scuderia's power unit and aerodynamic department are working in synergy, unmatched in the recent past, and this could be considered a significant advantage that rivals did not expect Ferrari would have.