F1 opinion: Ferrari’s new era, with one defining question
For nearly two decades, Ferrari’s “racing red” cars have driven towards something that once felt inescapable, writes Sports News Blitz’s Francesca O’Callaghan.
After Kimi Räikkönen delivered Ferrari their last Drivers’ crown in 2007, the narrative has been filled with near-misses and a legacy growing increasingly cumbersome with every passing season.
Even the constructors’ title, absent since 2008, feels like an antique, a time when Ferrari took centre stage, labelling themselves as the kings of motorsport.
This is a team anchored in superiority, shaped by the vision of Enzo Ferrari, and marked by triumph.
Fast forward to 2026, the here and now, a season filled with opportunity - perhaps the clearest windshield in years to close a chapter in the Ferrari history books, one which dawdled for far longer than the fans and executives hoped.
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A formidable but fragile driver duo
Charles Leclerc enters his ninth season with the team still in pursuit of his first title.
His speed is one of the fastest on the track, averaging over 260 km/h (162mph) in qualifying 2025/2026, echoed in his extensive 27 pole positions achieved in his F1 career, but queries over coherence and stability continue.
Incidents such as his costly error of ‘driving his car in a reckless manner’, through smacking the wall, at the Miami Grand Prix this weekend which led to a post-race penalty of an additional 20 seconds to his race time - underline a tendency to crumble under pressure.
"It's all on me," Leclerc told Sky Sports F1 before his penalty was confirmed.
“I pushed very hard in the second-to-last lap. I thought it was a good idea to let Oscar go for me to get the overtake [boost mode]. I knew it was going to be very difficult to get in front otherwise”
Alongside him, Lewis Hamilton represents both opportunity and risk.
The seven-time world champion’s move to Ferrari was motivated by the fulfilment of a childhood dream and the prospect of securing a record-breaking eighth title, like a prancing horse galloping down the straight in the sport’s most iconic colours.
Yet his first season with the team in 2025 was unsatisfactory, described by many observers as the “worst season ever” for his career.
Outperformed by Leclerc and struggling particularly in qualifying, Hamilton faces a critical challenge, mainly his battle with understeer and oversteer alongside adapting his driving style to the “tricky” SF-25.
At 41, time is not on his side, as drivers typically retire in their mid-to-late 30s, meaning that Hamilton faces added mental and physical demands.
Ferrari believes his experience, particularly from the dominant Mercedes era defined by forceful, late-braking "V-shaped" cornering will be indispensable in navigating the complexities of the new season.
A reset born from failure
Ferrari’s 2025 season was a disappointment.
But can 2026 be different?
The decision to abandon development of that car as early as April allowed Ferrari to redirect resources toward 2026 earlier than many of its rivals, through new power units, revised aerodynamics and altered sporting frameworks.
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur has described the upcoming season as one of the most significant regulatory shifts in a generation.
Ferrari’s response has been to prioritise versatility: a car concept designed not only for initial performance but for in-season development.
Innovations such as the so-called “Macarena” rear wing and experimental exhaust-wing concepts point to a team willing to push the boundaries and produce better results.
Power, potential and uncertainty
The team’s new engine project, developed in-house at Maranello, is expected to emphasise electrical deployment and efficiency gains under sustainable fuel regulations.
This level of expertise may offer an advantage over competitors such as Red Bull Racing, who are developing their own power units from scratch for the “Active Aero” era of F1.
Yet, Ferrari’s smaller turbo concept, which has contributed to strong starts, may prove vulnerable at power-sensitive circuits like Monza and Spa-Francorchamps.
Comparison to rivals
Max Verstappen remains a formidable benchmark due to his immense speed and execution of the best performance he can ever race.
While Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli represent a blend of experience and emerging potential.
McLaren Formula 1 Team - with reigning champions Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have demonstrated both pace and, at times, internal tension, such a Piastri’s displeasure with teammates colliding and switching positions, resulting in accusations of favouritism of Norris’s ‘hard racing approach’
In that context, Ferrari may begin the season among the contenders, but maintaining that level of competitiveness over a whole season has been the team’s recurring difficulty.
As Ferrari chairman John Elkann has acknowledged, “competitiveness is the prerequisite; without it, reliability and execution become irrelevant”.
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