Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins believes Ferrari still has the foundations to become a serious front-running force in the 2026 Formula 1 season, but warned that one critical weakness continues to prevent Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from consistently fighting at the very front.
Although Ferrari showed flashes of strong pace during the opening phase of the season, the Scuderia has struggled to maintain competitiveness over full race distances. According to Bernie Collins, solving that issue could be the key factor that determines whether Lewis Hamilton can return to regular podium contention in his first season with Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton showed early promise under the new 2026 Formula 1 regulations
The start of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign initially generated optimism around Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. After several difficult years during Formula 1’s previous ground-effect era, the seven-time world champion appeared much more comfortable with the characteristics of the new generation of cars introduced under the latest regulations.
Strong performances in Australia and China suggested that Lewis Hamilton had quickly adapted to Ferrari’s SF-26 package. The British driver secured a Sprint podium in Shanghai before following it with his first Formula 1 Grand Prix podium in Ferrari colours, finishing third in China.
At that stage of the season, many observers believed Lewis Hamilton could emerge as a genuine championship contender if Ferrari continued developing the SF-26 effectively.
However, momentum has faded in recent races. Ferrari’s overall race pace has fluctuated significantly, while rivals McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing have made noticeable progress with their development programmes.
Ferrari struggling to maintain pace over full race distance
Since the encouraging Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton has found it increasingly difficult to remain consistently competitive across entire race weekends. The Ferrari driver finished sixth in Japan before enduring another frustrating weekend at the Miami Grand Prix, where he crossed the line outside the leading positions after also struggling in the Sprint race.
Bernie Collins believes Ferrari’s biggest concern is not necessarily outright one-lap speed, but rather how the SF-26 behaves as races evolve and tyre degradation becomes more significant.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Bernie Collins explained that Ferrari had shown signs of progress in Miami despite several complications affecting both drivers throughout the weekend.
She pointed to the extensive upgrade package introduced by Ferrari in Florida as evidence that the team is moving in the correct technical direction. The former strategist also noted that certain circuits later in the Formula 1 calendar could potentially favour Ferrari’s package more naturally.
At the same time, Bernie Collins highlighted that Ferrari’s inability to sustain performance levels deep into races remains the team’s major unanswered question.
Miami Grand Prix exposed Ferrari’s remaining weaknesses
The Miami Grand Prix offered another example of Ferrari’s inconsistent race execution. Lewis Hamilton’s race became compromised after contact with Alpine driver Franco Colapinto during an attempted overtake around the outside at Turn 11 on the opening lap.
The incident caused floor and aerodynamic damage to Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26, reportedly costing the British driver several tenths of a second per lap for the remainder of the race.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc initially appeared to carry Ferrari’s strongest hopes after running competitively during the early stages of the Grand Prix. However, Ferrari’s strategic decisions and overall race pace once again prevented the Scuderia from converting that early promise into a podium challenge.
Charles Leclerc later spun while attempting to pressure Oscar Piastri in the fight for third place, damaging his car and ultimately receiving a significant time penalty after repeatedly shortcutting corners following the incident.
The difficult end to the race capped another frustrating weekend for Ferrari, despite visible improvements in qualifying and the opening laps of race stints.
Bernie Collins sees hope for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari
Despite Ferrari’s recent setbacks, Bernie Collins remains optimistic that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc can still produce stronger results if Ferrari manages to unlock more consistent long-run performance from the SF-26.
She explained that Ferrari has often looked extremely competitive during race starts and opening stints, particularly when it comes to launch performance and early tyre management.
According to Bernie Collins, the central challenge for Ferrari is finding a way to preserve that level of competitiveness throughout the second half of races, where tyre degradation and balance instability have repeatedly hurt both the seven-time F1 world champion and his Maranello teammate.
The former strategist suggested that if Ferrari succeeds in improving race management and tyre preservation, there remains genuine hope for both the Scuderia and Lewis Hamilton supporters over the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Pressure growing on Ferrari development programme
As Formula 1’s intense development battle continues, Ferrari now faces increasing pressure to ensure its aggressive upgrade programme delivers sustainable gains rather than isolated flashes of performance.
Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari generated enormous expectations across the sport, while Charles Leclerc continues to push for his long-awaited first Formula 1 world championship. Yet unless Ferrari resolves its race degradation problems, both drivers may continue losing ground to McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing over longer stints.
With several major upgrades still planned throughout the season, the next phase of Ferrari’s 2026 campaign could determine whether Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remain outsiders in the championship fight or re-emerge as genuine contenders later in the year.
Leave a Reply