Ferrari arrives in Austria with an upgraded Power Unit
Two weeks after Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Formula 1 returns to action for the first of the summer’s two European double-headers. The championship heads to Austria before moving on to Silverstone, with Scuderia Ferrari arriving in the Styrian mountains determined to build on the progress shown in recent races.
The team is fully aware that at the short and demanding Red Bull Ring, even a single hundredth of a second can dramatically reshape the starting grid. Ferrari’s SF-26 arrives at Spielberg with an important weapon at its disposal: an upgraded Power Unit, as we anticipated last week.
Beganovic replaces Charles Leclerc in FP1
The Austrian weekend will begin with a change behind the wheel. For the second time this season, Ferrari will field three drivers during a race weekend.
Dino Beganovic, the Swedish talent from the Ferrari Driver Academy who is currently competing in Formula 2 with DAMS, will make his official race weekend debut by taking over Charles Leclerc’s SF-26 during Friday’s first free practice session.
The event will follow the traditional format without a Sprint weekend. Action begins on Friday with FP1 at 13:30 and FP2 at 17:00, before continuing on Saturday with the final practice session at 12:30 and qualifying at 16:00. The Austrian Grand Prix will start on Sunday at 15:00 and will be contested over 71 laps.
Team Principal Fred Vasseur has called for a straightforward and disciplined approach: “We arrive in Austria encouraged by the positive signs we have seen in recent races, although we are fully aware that there is still a lot of work to do and that we must continue focusing on ourselves. We will approach this weekend with the same method and mindset as always, aiming to put together a clean weekend in every aspect, from track execution to the strategic decisions made on the pit wall.
“We know that every race weekend tells its own story. We will continue to take things one race at a time, with humility and with the objective of extracting the maximum possible result.”
Enrico Gualtieri confirms the engine upgrade: “A targeted update using the ADUO mechanism”
The real focal point of interest for Ferrari at the Red Bull Ring is hidden beneath the engine cover. Ferrari Power Unit Technical Director Enrico Gualtieri has officially confirmed the introduction of an evolved engine specification, designed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the regulations during this crucial phase of the championship.
“The development of a Power Unit normally follows long cycles because every step requires intensive research and extremely thorough validation,” explained the Italian engineer – “For this reason, it is rare to see radical changes during the season. Since the beginning of the 2026 project, we have combined continuous development with programmes aimed at longer-term objectives. Everyone at the factory is working with great intensity to make the most of the additional opportunities offered by the ADUO mechanism, fully in line with our development roadmap. The update we are introducing at Spielberg is relatively modest and reflects the work carried out in recent weeks to transfer the progress achieved in our development programmes onto the track.
“It is the expression of a fundamental Formula 1 principle: continuously improving and introducing new developments as soon as they become available.”
No miracles expected, but relentless development continues
Despite the introduction of the new specification, Ferrari is keeping expectations firmly grounded. The team is avoiding bold claims and emphasizing that modern Formula 1 is a battle measured in thousandths of a second, won through consistency and a constant stream of upgrades.
“This is a limited update and, by itself, it will not be enough to change the competitive order,” Enrico Gualtieri admitted pragmatically – “However, it highlights the attitude of the team and our technical partners, who remain determined to push forward and optimise the package race after race.
“In such a competitive championship, it is unrealistic to think that a single update can transform the overall picture, given the regulatory and homologation constraints. Performance is built over time through many small steps.”
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