Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has laid out the specific areas where he believes the Scuderia must make progress during the latter half of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign, especially as Lewis Hamilton fights to stay in the championship hunt. Hamilton’s remarkably steady performance over the first eleven races has kept his hopes of a record‑breaking eighth drivers’ title alive, even though he trails Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli by 50 points at the top of the standings. While a 50‑point deficit is certainly surmountable, the reality on the track has been that Antonelli’s Mercedes generally seems to have a slight power advantage over Hamilton’s Ferrari. This suggests that the Italian outfit will need to extract additional performance if the 41‑year‑old champion is to keep his title aspirations on track.
At the same time, Ferrari remains a contender for the constructors’ crown; Mercedes leads by 72 points, but that margin is far from insurmountable given the early‑season dominance the German team displayed. Speaking after the final pre‑summer‑break race in Hungary, Vasseur reflected on the season’s first half: “The opening part of the year was divided into stages. Up to the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes were simply flying.
After Spain, when we returned, we managed to score more points than them over the last four or five races.” He added that the Hungarian Grand Prix highlighted a key shortcoming: “If I have to draw a conclusion from Hungary, it would be execution. Yet, overall, our execution has been fairly solid from the start of the season.” When asked about the specific improvements required, Vasseur pointed to the power unit as the most pressing concern. “We know we have to get better on the engine side and we will do it.
The inertia on the engine is much higher than on the chassis,” he explained. This comment echoes a sentiment shared by several rivals, including McLaren’s Lando Norris, who noted that Ferrari appears to possess the best chassis on the grid but is being held back by a comparatively weaker power unit. Ferrari has already been granted a one‑off engine upgrade under the FIA’s performance‑balancing regulations, but the team still faces the question of how much further they can enhance the unit for the remaining races.
Vasseur conceded that there is still room for improvement, but he also stressed that the chassis cannot be neglected. “The most important thing will be to keep the development pace,” he said. “McLaren did a good job for a while, but they don’t follow exactly the same philosophy as us because they are delivering a big package all at once.
Every time they bring something, it’s a huge step. Our approach is different – we aim to introduce parts race by race.” He continued, “We have to maintain this momentum because there are still twelve races left. There is a lot of scope for improvement on the chassis everywhere, and we must keep this pace.” In other words, Ferrari’s strategy hinges on a steady stream of incremental upgrades rather than occasional large‑scale overhauls.
This philosophy aims to ensure the car remains competitive throughout the season, even if the power unit’s development curve is slower than that of the chassis. The upcoming sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, scheduled for August 21‑23, will be the first event after the summer hiatus. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, and fans can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract. The Dutch sprint will provide an early test of Ferrari’s post‑break upgrades and give Vasseur a clear indication of whether the team’s dual focus on engine refinement and chassis evolution is bearing fruit.
In summary, Vasseur’s message to the paddock is clear: Ferrari must sharpen its execution, push the limits of its power unit, and sustain a relentless development rhythm on the chassis. By doing so, they hope to close the gap to Mercedes in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships and keep Lewis Hamilton in the fight for a historic eighth title.
The next twelve races will be decisive, and the Scuderia’s ability to adapt and improve on a race‑by‑race basis could determine whether they finish the season as genuine title contenders or fall short of their ambitions.