Ferrari workforce principal Fred Vasseur expects the F1 workforce to introduce B-spec automobiles at subsequent 12 months’s official pre-season check in Bahrain, following January’s shakedown in Barcelona.
Attributable to new aerodynamic and energy unit rules, the 2026 mannequin is considerably completely different from earlier fashions, and 5 days of testing occurred in Spain in late January to run the brand new design for the primary time. As in 2014, reliability would be the major focus forward of the 2 pre-season exams in Bahrain, and Vasseur believes two several types of automobiles shall be used forward of the opening race.
“Sure, everybody would do this,” Vasseur stated. “However on this state of affairs, an important factor is to get the mileage. It is not about efficiency, it is about getting the mileage, validating the technical decisions of the automobile after which getting the efficiency. I feel everybody will come to Barcelona with a ‘spec A’ and never an actual automobile.”
Ferrari is because of unveil its new automobile on January 23 subsequent 12 months and the Bahrain check is more likely to be too near the primary race in Melbourne to take action, so Vasseur stated the Barcelona run would permit the workforce to uncover any potential severe points that should be addressed.
“It is true that we’re not used to having 9 check days,” he says. “Within the final 4 or 5 seasons, we have had three seasons. That is a bonus, but it surely’s additionally a very completely different program. I imply the primary aim in a season like that is to get reliability.”
“You keep in mind completely the season 10 or 15 years in the past, the place the DNF fee was very excessive within the first race. Which means you must get the mileage first. And what you wish to keep away from in comparison with 2025 is dropping to a disqualification (in China) originally of the season. You lose mileage, you lose references, and you then (chasing). It is a lengthy course of.”
“The primary focus in Barcelona is we have to get some mileage on the automobile to grasp the truth of the automobile and perceive the place we have now to enhance and what we have now to react to, as a result of if we wish to do one thing for the Bahrain T02, we do not have time to react for Australia. Our first goal, Barcelona reasonably than a promotional day, however positively getting extra mileage than pure efficiency.”
