After an underwhelming 2025 season for Ferrari, this year has proved more fruitful for the Scuderia. The SF-26 has performed well, with a driver in red standing on the podium nine times. Unlike the previous year, this term, the Prancing Horse has crossed the line first, with Lewis Hamilton winning in Barcelona and Charles Leclerc in Silverstone.
With a competitive challenger, the former sits second in the championship, but some 50 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Despite the SF-26 working well, Ferrari know that they have an engine deficit to Mercedes, costing them pace. However, the team principal, Fred Vasseur, has vowed to continue to develop the engine.
Team boss says Ferrari will keep pushing
Ferrari sit second in the constructors' championship, 72 points behind leaders Mercedes. This is a catchable amount, especially with the Silver Arrows' reliability issues. However, Fred Vasseur knows the team's power unit is behind their rivals, and has said that the team will try to catch up in the development race.
Speaking to the media, ↗︎Vasseur said, "We know that we have to improve on the engine side. We will do it, even if the inertia on the engine is much higher than the chassis. The most important thing would be to be able to keep the pace into the development."
The problem that Ferrari has is that Mercedes and the Red Bull Power Train are currently stronger than what Maranello has produced. This is costing the team in straight-line speed and pure power. The concern is that all their rivals currently have the better engine, meaning Ferrari risks falling behind.
The development war is key to winning a championship. Standing still will leave you behind your rivals, meaning you will fall down the pecking order. If the Scuderia are serious about winning a first championship since 2008, they must improve the engine in a regulation cycle which is more about power than aerodynamics.
Can Ferrari win a championship?
Mercedes has the fastest car, but the W17 has reliability issues. Both drivers have retired due to powertrain issues. If the Silver Arrows don't get on top of the problems, it could cost them in the championship. The only team currently within striking distance is Ferrari. The SF-26 seems a more reliable car than the Mercedes, but is slower than the German team's challenger.
Also in Mercedes' favour is that Kimi Antonelli is in the form of his life. The youngster has stood on the podium nine times out of eleven Grand Prix, winning six of them. George Russell has been hit by technical gremlins, costing the Silver Arrows vital points in the standings. Ferrari's drivers are performing well, but some penalties for Lewis Hamilton have cost him points.
Vasseur believes that his team has come on strong in the last five races, summarising, "The first part of the season was, I would say, probably in two stages. The first one is until Spain when Mercedes was flying, where they scored something like 100 points more than us in four or five events. Of course, after Spain, we came back, we scored more points than Mercedes in these four or five races."
Both championship fights are wide open at the halfway point in 2026. With driving at a high standard, reliability and the development race will play a pivotal part in proceedings. The question is, can Ferrari catch up to the flying Mercedes to win their first title in 18 years?
