John Elkann, the Ferrari chairman, says the team is approaching the F1 2026 season with \u201cunity and determination\u201d after falling short of its ambitions in 2025.<\/p>\n
It comes after he was criticised for calling for drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to \u201ctalk less\u201d in the closing weeks of last season.<\/p>\n
John Elkann: Ferrari approaching F1 2026 with \u2018unity and determination\u2019<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Ferrari has enjoyed a promising start to the F1 2026 campaign, recording podium finishes at the opening three races of the new season.<\/p>\n Leclerc has twice finished third in Australia and Japan, with Hamilton matching the result in China to secure his first podium finish for Ferrari.<\/p>\n Ferrari\u2019s impressive start to the new season comes after the team suffered its third winless campaign of the decade, and its first since 2021, last year.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season<\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n Elkann was criticised in some quarters for a scathing assessment of Ferrari\u2019s 2025 season<\/a> in the aftermath of last year\u2019s Brazilian Grand Prix in which he said the team\u2019s performance was \u201cnot up to par.\u201d<\/p>\n He also commented that Hamilton and Leclerc should \u201cfocus on driving\u201d and \u201ctalk less\u201d before comparing Ferrari\u2019s struggles in F1 to the success of its World Endurance Championship team, which won a drivers\u2019 and manufacturers\u2019 title double in 2025 as well as taking a third consecutive triumph at Le Mans.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cFerrari wins when it is united, as the WEC results have shown us. When everyone is together, great things can be achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n In an address to Ferrari shareholders in Amsterdam this week, Elkann remarked that the team has started the F1 2026 season in a more united fashion.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cAt Scuderia Ferrari, we know that racing is also about learning and improving.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a season that fell short of our ambitions, in 2026 we embarked on a new championship under new rules.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are approaching it with unity and determination, focused on the work needed to come back stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n On Ferrari\u2019s WEC title success in 2025, he added: \u201cNovember 8 [the date of the season finale in Bahrain] was a moment of pure joy for all of us and for fans around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cFifty years after our last overall world title in endurance racing, Ferrari has clinched both the constructors\u2019 and drivers\u2019 titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship.<\/p>\n \u201cThe excitement is clear to see on our faces.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the result of talent and teamwork, at the end of a season that also saw the 499P secure a third consecutive victory at Le Mans \u2013 another extraordinary milestone in our history.\u201d<\/p>\n Benedetto Vigna, the Ferrari chief executive, added that victory remains the Scuderia\u2019s only goal in motorsport, as well as outlining plans across the wider company.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIn the world of racing, our goal remains simple: we race to win.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are expanding our competitive arena to include endurance racing, whilst reaffirming our full commitment to the World Endurance Championship and Formula 1.<\/p>\n \u201c2025 marked the start of a new strategic cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the Capital Markets Day on October 9 in Maranello, we presented our ambitions for 2030.<\/p>\n \u201cIn \u2018Racing\u2019, our goal remains simple: to race to win.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the \u2018Sports Cars\u2019 segment, we will continue to safeguard exclusivity through horizontal product diversification, with an average of four new models per year between 2026 and 2030, including petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the \u2018Lifestyle\u2019 segment, we will continue to enhance the customer experience and broaden our reach beyond fans and Ferrari enthusiasts.\u201d<\/p>\n As reported by PlanetF1.com on Wednesday<\/a>, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has conceded that the team\u2019s straight-line speed is an area of focus as it aims to close the gap to the dominant Mercedes team.<\/p>\n Hamilton recently claimed that Mercedes takes a \u201chuge step\u201d on the straights, with the W17s of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli enjoying \u201ca little bit more deployment\u201d and \u201cless de-rating at the end of the straights.\u201d<\/p>\n After Hamilton took part in a two-day Pirelli tyre test at Fiorano last week, Ferrari is set to hold one of its two permitted filming days for F1 2026 at Monza on April 22 ahead of the resumption of the season with the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.<\/p>\n The outing at Monza, one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar in terms of energy management, should allow the team to further optimise its new F1 2026 power unit.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n