Ferrari has shown that strong starts are one of its strengths—could this give them an advantage in Sprint races? Renowned journalist Leo Turrini shares his opinion.
The starts of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the Australian Grand Prix caught everyone’s attention. The Monegasque driver, starting from the second row in fourth position, reacted superbly when the lights went out, allowing him to surprise George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Isack Hadjar. Lewis Hamilton himself, starting from seventh, managed to move up close to the front runners. Despite these excellent initial moves, the two Ferrari drivers finished the first round of the 2026 F1 season in third and fourth place.
Ferrari achieved such strong starts partly thanks to a smaller turbo. According to Leo Turrini, the Maranello team could leverage this technical feature to dominate specific races on the calendar. Here’s how.
Ferrari’s advantage for the 2026 F1 season
During an appearance on Race Anatomy on Sky Sport F1, after the Australian Grand Prix, Leo Turrini shared his insights about Ferrari. The commentator noted: “A smaller turbo. They’ve already won in Monte Carlo and Singapore starting like this. Especially since there’s one on Saturday, meaning Ferrari could dominate the Sprint Races because they are just 15/18 laps.”
After the Australian GP, Formula 1 will head to China for the first Sprint weekend of the season. Teams will have only one hour of practice to fine-tune their cars before qualifying for the Saturday race. This will be the first of six Sprint races scheduled for the season, with the upcoming events in Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Singapore.
As the field prepares for the unique challenges of the Shanghai International Circuit, Ferrari’s “extra weapon” could provide the edge needed to secure their first victory of the year. If the Scuderia can capitalize on their superior launch capabilities and maintain their pace over the 100km Sprint distance, they may well become the team to beat in the Saturday standings.
Ferrari’s technical choice of a smaller turbocharger therefore appears to give them a significant tactical advantage in race starts and short-distance formats, potentially making them the favorites for the six Sprint races scattered throughout the 2026 F1 calendar.
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