Ferrari Remains Focused on SF-26 Development Despite Fading Title Hopes

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the Scuderia will continue developing its current SF-26 Formula 1 car, even as its chances of challenging for the 2026 titles diminish.

Lewis Hamilton retired from the Spanish Grand Prix because of brake problems, leaving the seven-time world champion 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Madrid, while Ferrari trail Mercedes by 145 points in the constructors’ standings.

Ferrari must allocate development resources carefully under the cost cap and aerodynamic testing restrictions. On the engine side, the team has already introduced the two ADUO upgrades permitted for the year.

Although teams are understood to be working on their 2027 cars, Vasseur has no plans to make that project Ferrari’s immediate priority.

“We are not in the situation we were 12 months ago,” Vasseur said, referring to the regulatory overhaul for 2026. “What we develop now will be transferable to next year’s project. We will continue working, although perhaps on different areas.”

“Eighty per cent of today’s development work will carry over.”

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari

Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images

Asked whether Ferrari’s title fight against Antonelli and Mercedes was effectively over, Vasseur declined to give a direct answer.

“Two or three weeks ago, I told you that I would take each race on its own. I haven’t changed my approach,” he said.

Qualifying may be the crucial area for Ferrari. Hamilton and Leclerc have yet to reach the front row in any of the four sessions since the summer break, including the Zandvoort sprint weekend. Their average qualifying position is fifth, while the SF-26’s average deficit to pole stands at 0.198 seconds—behind McLaren and Mercedes but ahead of Red Bull.

“That is what we need to improve,” Vasseur said. “When you look at the race pace, it is there. We certainly need to do a better job in qualifying.”

“At Zandvoort and here, the circuit profile has been similar for us. We had decent qualifying pace, but we did not bring everything together on the final attempt, while the race pace was acceptable.”

“If I had to focus the team on one area today, it would be how our pace evolves during qualifying—not simply the qualifying pace itself, but the progress we can make from one run to the next. We had the potential in the first Q3 run. It is there; we just need to adapt the car more effectively in the later runs.”

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