Qualifying left little suspense. Ferrari will start the Sprint fourth and sixth, while George Russell took pole for Mercedes. The gap opened mainly in the third sector and, to a lesser extent, in the middle portion of the lap.

The unknowns: start and tyre management

Fred Vasseur kept things measured after Qualifying Sprint. He pointed out that some performance convergence is normal at this stage and that it is still early to draw firm conclusions. He underlined that the team will focus on a good launch off the line to stay close to Mercedes and then see how the race unfolds.

Another big question is tyre care. How teams manage graining during the Sprint and in the longer runs will matter a lot for race pace, and the maxi-stint of 19 laps planned after the Sprint will give a clear picture for setup changes ahead of the Grand Prix.

Where Ferrari lost time

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton each lost almost four tenths of a second in the final sector, the stretch that runs from turn 12 to turn 14. That segment relies heavily on power unit delivery all the way up to a reported 337 km/h. The electrical deployment matters, but the size and behaviour of the turbo and the thermal side of the engine also seem to have given Mercedes an advantage there.

Wing test and parc ferme rules

Ferrari tried a different rear wing, nicknamed "Macarena," during Free Practice 1 to check its reliability. The team decided not to race with it for the Sprint and reverted to the classic specification. Vasseur explained the choice was about gathering more kilometres before making a final call.

Remember that the cars remain in parc ferme until the end of the Sprint. Only after the Sprint will teams be free to adjust setup, and those changes will be driven by tyre behaviour seen during the long run.

Microsector highlights

  • The SF-26 showed strength between turn 2 and the exit of turn 3, where it was faster than the Mercedes.
  • Mercedes increased the gap again on the run toward turn 6, where the W17 carried better speed.
  • On the exit of turn 10, Hamilton produced a stronger run than Russell.

Vasseur was careful not to overpromise. He admitted the team might not have made a huge step forward compared with Melbourne, but said the crew did a better job in qualifying here and appear a little closer to Mercedes. The Sprint and the tyre story will tell us whether that progress was enough.

Published: 13 March 2026, 10:22