Ferrari, along with McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine, had a disastrous strategic call for the starting tires at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia. All of them started on the slick tires when the track was still damp, which resulted in them losing over 60 seconds to the leaders.
However, this isn’t the first time that Ferrari has made a disastrous strategic call by keeping its drivers on the wrong tires. Let’s have a look at the last five times the Scuderia left its drivers on the wrong tires in a wet race. The list doesn’t include the qualifying or practice blunders, but instead wet race tire strategy disasters.
#1 2026 Bahrain GP: Both Ferrari drivers on slicks on a damp track
After the formation lap chaos of the drivers not being able to accelerate, and cancellation of the start procedure, the teams sat for nearly 30 mins in the pits. The rain had already subsided, and given the previous races at Sepang International Circuit, the track was known to dry up in minutes.
As the tire blankets came off, the Ferraris were on the slick tires. The track did look to have dried up, but it was still damp due to the humidity in the air. However, many expected the track to dry up in a couple of laps, but that wasn’t the case.
As a result, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were left on slick tires on a wet track. Leclerc, after losing over 30 seconds to the leader, gave up and came in for a fresh set of intermediates. Hamilton, on the other hand, continued on the slick tires, and a safety car for Bottas saved the day.
#2 2025 Australian GP: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc left too long on slicks
The 2025 Australian GP started under damp conditions and transitioned to dry. However, on Lap 45, the showers hit the track once again, with the leaders pitting for intermediate tires. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who were running inside the Top 5, were left out on track for a couple of extra laps.
This resulted in those who pitted earlier for intermediates catching up to them. When Ferrari eventually decided to pit their drivers, they came out in P9 and P10. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished the race in P8 and P10 respectively.
#3 2024 British GP: Charles Leclerc called in too early for intermediate tires
On Lap 19 at the British GP, a drizzle hit the Silverstone circuit, with drivers starting to lose time on the slick tires. On Lap 20, Ferrari called the shot and pitted Charles Leclerc from P7 to change to intermediate tires.
However, it was a little too early, and others carried on for seven more laps on slicks before the optimal crossover time. All this while, Leclerc lost time to the leaders, and shredded the intermediate tires on a track that wasn’t wet enough.
The Ferrari driver had to come into the pits once again on Lap 29 for new intermediate tires and was left at the back end of the field.
#4 2022 Monaco GP: Charles Leclerc left out on wets far too long
Charles Leclerc started the 2022 Monaco GP on pole, amid torrential rain. With the track starting to dry out, Ferrari left him out on the track for far too long on the full wet tires compared to the competitors.
Ferrari eventually pitted Leclerc into the intermediate tires, only to call him into the pits after three laps for slick tires. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, made the switch from full wets to slicks.
While boxing for slicks, Leclerc also had to box in behind Sainz and wait in the pits. Not only did the Monegasque lose the race lead, but he also came out P4 behind his teammate and the two Red Bulls.
#5 2009 Malaysian GP: Ferrari preempting rainfall leaves Kimi Raikkonen on dry track with wet tires
Ferrari pitted Kimi Raikkonen from P5 for wet tires, preempting rainfall. However, just within three laps, the Iceman dropped down to P14, with the rain arriving a handful of laps later. Not only did Raikkonen lose track position, but he also destroyed the wet tires on a dry track.
Read More: FIA explains what led to the farcical start of the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
