There’s nothing strange about Ferrari winning the Formula 1 ‘Winter’ World Championship. But this one seems different.
Fifty years ago, they used to come to Kyalami for the Winter World Championship. Four days of testing in the fortnight leading up to the South African Grand Prix meant we bunked school for two weeks flat late in February every year.
Our omnipresence was rewarded by some work for Ferrari, logging top end down the main straight, lackeying around the pits and living some impeccable memories.
Back then, Ferrari would be expected to be Winter World Champions. And we’d inevitably back it up with the real thing every year. It was a winning combination. Then they never returned and the pre-season made do with Ricard or Barcelona.
Ferrari kept on winning the Winter World Championship. But besides in the glory years of Michael and Kimi, the real thing never happened. So the Winter World Championship thing quite rightfully sticks.
Which means that to report the 2026 Winter World Championship will bring the expected wry smiles, giggles and digs. It’s a Ferrari thing. A Tifosi thing. We hate it. That false dawn… But 2026 may just be different.
There’s far more to Ferrari topping both the Barca shakedown and the Bahrain pre-season test fortnight. First off the SF-26 appeared mighty on both short and long runs. Charles was not just fastest of all on Friday. He regularly pounded in times faster than the next best.
The SF-26 proved fast, reliable, thrilling
The SF-26 was also quite reliable, radical cast iron heads and all. Never mind that wing that stole the headlines. Not only did it impress even among Maranello’s staunchest technical and team boss rivals, but some now even credit the rotisserie blade with a second a lap advantage.
Time will tell, but that was just one of several clever aero innovations, like that exhaust wing. Whatever pace they’re worth, all of it brought more excitement to Ferrari than anyone else in the tests.
Lewis’ lightning test starts were another huge positive. How often has it been that the first into turn 1 is the winner 300 kilometres later? More than you’d care to guess. So if they can regularly do that from row 3, who knows how much that may be worth in the long run. So, looking at the track action, Ferrari should be odds on to take the title at the tattersalls come Adelaide time.
But there’s more to it. There’s been a certain, albeit guarded spring in that collective Maranello step in the past weeks. And it’s just growing stronger. From the team’s far more vocal warts ‘n all new social media video campaign to the looks on all their faces. They are all grinning. All the time. Far from the sombre Ferrari we became used to though this latest, winless season.
“Testing went very well, reliability was good and we did much more than we expected to and overall we’re happy to meet our pre-season testing targets,” team boss Fred Vasseur fired with his best shot at a poker face.
Spring in the collective Maranello step
Vasseur added: “So we can focus on carrying this momentum into the season, even if It’s difficult to see a clear picture of performance. We’ll only know the true pecking order in Melbourne and that probably won’t be the picture at the end of the season. Still, I’d prefer that we’re in good shape there.“
A very different Lewis Hamilton turned up for testing, versus the mope we witnessed fading into the end of 2025. “I rebuilt over winter,” the seven-time World Champion reflected in Bahrain.
“I refocussed my body and my mind to a far better place. I’m now in the best place that I’ve been in a long, long time. This car has more than just a bit of my DNA in it, so I’m for sure much more connected to it. That’s why I joined Ferrari and why I have 100% faith in the team and what we’re capable of.”
Pace man Charles Leclerc was pragmatic: “It’s nice to look at the lap times, but testing doesn’t really mean much,” The Monegasque warned. “It’s difficult to understand where we really are, because teams tend to hide their true potential, so we rather focus on own targets.
“Still, the car seems good, the new power unit feels fast and we must keep on improving the reliability. We head to Melbourne with a clear direction that suits my driving style. I think we have a lot of potential.”
Of course, it’s always proven a very different challenge for many, many time Winter World Champions Ferrari to win the real thing. Even if the writing on this year’s wall is far clearer than it’s been for a long, long time. Forza Ferrari!