Ferrari have a long road ahead of them if they want to be contenders for a Formula 1 title again in the future.
After missing out on the constructors’ championship by just 14 points in 2024, they took a giant leap backwards during the winter. Unfortunately, it coincided with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton.
It’s the wake-up call that Ferrari might have needed ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations. They’re not where they need to be currently, and need to find improvements.
The renewal of team boss Fred Vasseur brings some crucial stability to the team’s organisation, and now they must focus on bettering what has been a very frustrating campaign.
Hamilton is now ‘leveraging’ Ferrari to have more of an influence on their strategies. He wants to be able to decide his own fate more often.
After the Hungarian Grand Prix, it was revealed that Hamilton has a Ferrari contract clause that tilts the future in his favour. He can decide whether or not to continue into 2027.
Photo by Luca Martini/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesFerrari have ‘experimented’ with Lewis Hamilton’s battery pack on 2026 F1 car with a ‘downside’
Hamilton has been accused of ‘staging’ a Ferrari message, after admitting that his team should change drivers if they want better results.
After more than 750 days without a pole position, Hamilton must rediscover his greatest strength and reinvigorate himself over one lap if he wants to challenge for more silverware.
Unfortunately, with little development coming to the SF25 between now and the end of the campaign, he will have to make do with what he already has.
‘90%’ of Ferrari insiders disagreed with signing Hamilton, but he still has time over the next 12 or so months to prove them wrong. To show that he has plenty of pace left.
A significant part of that push will be next year’s car, which the Italian edition of Motorsport.com reports has been the subject of some ‘battery pack’ experiments.
However, the ‘downside’ is that the improved size and weight could leave the Briton struggling for charge in some situations. There’s a sacrifice to be made.
Would Lewis Hamilton be right to shift his entire focus to 2026 already?
With 10 races of the campaign left, Ferrari have one cause to fight for, and they should be the favourites for it.
Beating Mercedes to second place in the constructors’ standings, with the extra experience and recent upgrades they have brought, should be very possible.
But at a certain stage, they’ll need to turn their focus elsewhere, or risk starting behind the eight-ball next January, at pre-season testing.
Hamilton’s critics are underestimating Ferrari and how much energy they are putting into the ‘678’ project, which they hope will end an 18-year title drought.
If the signs are encouraging enough in 2026, then Hamilton might be far more inclined to hang around for 2027, when he will be aged 42.