Ferrari group principal Fred Vasseur expects System 1 groups to introduce B-spec vehicles on the official pre-season assessments in Bahrain subsequent yr, following January’s shakedown in Barcelona.
New aerodynamic and energy unit laws make the 2026 vehicles a big departure from their predecessors, and have led to a late-January five-day check in Spain to first run the brand new designs. Much like 2014, the principle focus can be on reliability at that stage earlier than two pre-season assessments in Bahrain that Vasseur believes will see two various kinds of automotive used forward of the opening race.
“I feel sure, all people will do it,” Vasseur mentioned. “However on this scenario, crucial is to get mileage. It is to not chase efficiency, it is to get mileage, to validate the technical alternative of the automotive, after which to get efficiency. I feel all people will are available in Barcelona with not the true automotive, however a ‘spec A.’”
With Ferrari launching its new automotive on January 23 subsequent yr, Vasseur says the Barcelona operating will enable groups to uncover any potential main points that want addressing, because the Bahrain assessments will probably be too near the primary spherical in Melbourne to take action.
“It is true that we’re not used to having 9 check days anymore,” he mentioned. “The final 4 or 5 seasons, we did three. It is a bonus, nevertheless it’s additionally a very completely different program. It signifies that the primary goal for this sort of season is to get reliability.
“You keep in mind completely the season 10 or 15 years in the past, the primary races you had an enormous proportion of DNFs. It signifies that first, we have to get mileage. Additionally what we need to keep away from in comparison with 2025 is that once we have been misplaced originally of the season with the disqualification [in China]. We misplaced mileage, we misplaced reference, after which you might be [chasing] after this. It is a lengthy course of.
“The primary focus in Barcelona, we have to get mileage for the automotive, to grasp the fact of the automotive, the place we’ve to enhance or on what we’ve to react. As a result of if we need to have one thing for Bahrain T02, we can’t have time to react for Australia. The primary goal – the promotional day no, however Barcelona – can be for positive to get mileage greater than pure efficiency.”
