Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has pledged that the Scuderia will approach the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid with "full energy" and a renewed determination to recover from what he described as a "failure" at Monza. The Italian outfit entered their home race with high hopes, especially after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted impressive lap times in Friday's practice sessions. Yet the weekend quickly unraveled, beginning with a qualifying session that saw neither driver secure a front‑row start and culminating in a race that fell far short of expectations.
During the race, Hamilton found himself embroiled in a dramatic incident at the first chicane. While battling side‑by‑side with Leclerc, he was forced onto the gravel at Turn 2, a mistake that saw him drop from fourth place to tenth by the end of the lap. The incident left Hamilton visibly frustrated, as he felt the move cost him valuable positions. Shortly after, Leclerc suffered a severe crash on the third lap.
The impact was severe enough to damage the car beyond immediate repair and left the Monegasque driver dealing with temporary eye irritation, further dimming Ferrari's prospects for a strong finish. Despite a brief surge that saw Hamilton climb back to third place midway through the race, the lack of outright pace prevented him from challenging the leaders.
He ultimately crossed the line in sixth place, trailing both Mercedes cars, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, and the two McLaren entries. The result was a stark contrast to the optimism that had surrounded the team at the start of the weekend. Vasseur addressed the media after the race, emphasizing the team's resolve. "We will go to Madrid with all the energy we need to achieve a good result," he said.
He acknowledged the disappointment felt by the Tifosi, noting that the expectations at Monza were especially high given the passionate support of the home crowd. "Even if I spent the week telling myself it was just another race, it wasn't," Vasseur added. "We all feel that we let the fans down, but rest assured we will return much stronger." The technical side of Ferrari's performance was also under scrutiny. The team introduced its second and final engine upgrade of the season at Monza, yet the cars still lagged behind the Mercedes‑powered rivals on the straights.
Straight‑line speed has been a persistent weakness for Ferrari throughout the season, a deficiency that Vasseur believes will be less pronounced on the twisty layout of the new Madring circuit in Madrid. He admitted that he did not expect the power‑unit upgrade to close the gap to Mercedes entirely. "When you lack pure power, you start to play with deployment to compensate on the straights," Vasseur explained.
"But the more you adjust one area, the more you compromise another, and that can send you into a negative spiral. In truth, it's not just about deployment; even McLaren was tweaking their settings on Friday and Saturday.
The core issue remains a deficit in raw power." Ferrari's engine development timeline adds another layer of complexity. Following the first Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) review earlier in the year, the team was found to be more than four percent off the benchmark set by Red Bull's power unit.
This assessment granted Ferrari the right to introduce two engine upgrades during the current season and also allowed for further development for the 2027 power unit, when a new engine will be introduced. Vasseur highlighted the stark contrast between chassis and engine development cycles: "Chassis upgrades can be implemented almost overnight, giving us an immediate boost in performance. Engine development, however, is a much longer process. The lead times for parts are extensive, and the cost cap limits how quickly we can produce a new batch of engines." He continued, "If we want to start a development program, we have to manufacture a new batch of engines, which is not something we can do instantly.
We don't expect to close the gap with ADUO 1 or ADUO 2 alone; we're taking incremental steps. Even a few hundredths of a second per lap can translate into several grid positions. When we add a couple of horsepower, it's a meaningful gain.
Next year we will have a brand‑new engine, and our target is to catch up as quickly as possible." The upcoming Spanish Grand Prix weekend is packed with a full schedule of sessions across Formula 3, Formula 2, and Formula 1. The timetable includes practice sessions on Friday, qualifying and sprint races on Saturday, and the main Grand Prix on Sunday, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and streaming options via NOW. Ferrari will use the opportunity to test the new engine package and assess the car's handling on the more technical sections of the Madring circuit, hoping that the reduced emphasis on top‑end speed will allow the team to showcase its aerodynamic strengths and driver skill. In summary, Ferrari's leadership acknowledges the disappointment of Monza but remains confident that the combination of fresh engine upgrades, a circuit that rewards handling over raw power, and a motivated team will enable a strong response in Spain.
Vasseur's message to the fans and the paddock is clear: the Scuderia is committed to learning from its mistakes, making measured technical improvements, and delivering a performance that meets the high expectations of its supporters. The Spanish Grand Prix will be the first real test of whether those plans can translate into results on track.