F1 Austrian GP: Why Ferrari is still being held back by the same recurring problems. Ferrari still battling the same technical issues after Austrian GP.

Ferrari trapped by the same old problems

The Austrian Grand Prix will probably go down as one of the most unusual races in Ferrari’s 2026 Formula 1 campaign. Until now, the Prancing Horse had consistently performed at a very high level—or at least close to it. Firmly established as the second-fastest team for most of the season, Austria marked the first time this year that Ferrari found itself behind Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren all at once at the Red Bull Ring.

Ferrari caught between old and new problems

Ferrari endured a difficult weekend as several factors combined to create the perfect storm. The power unit failed to deliver its expected performance due to issues related to the turbocharger, while the extreme temperatures that affected Styria throughout the weekend made it exceptionally difficult for the engineers to find the right setup.

The reason why we now believe Red Bull’s project rests on stronger foundations than Ferrari’s (read here) is not because we have changed our opinion following the Spanish Grand Prix. The historic Italian team has undeniably taken an important step forward thanks to the upgrades introduced over the past few race weekends. However, its performances still depend too heavily on a long-standing inability within the team to fully understand several crucial technical aspects that are essential for consistently delivering top-level results.

The most worrying aspect of the Austrian Grand Prix

For years, Ferrari has struggled with significant shortcomings in understanding tyre behaviour. The most concerning takeaway from Sunday’s race is that the Ferrari drivers were more competitive on the Soft C5 compound—a tyre that is only used occasionally—than they were on the Hard C3 compound, the Pirelli specification featured at every Grand Prix this season.

Accepting this reality leaves both the team and technical observers facing a very complicated situation, one that is difficult to explain, analyse and even predict with confidence.

That said, we still expect Ferrari to produce more standout performances like the one seen in Barcelona over the coming races. They are likely to remain isolated flashes rather than becoming the norm, however. Outstanding weekends could continue to alternate with difficult events like Austria, creating not only frustration within the team but also putting Ferrari’s hold on second place in the Constructors’ Championship at genuine risk.

Ferrari’s erratic form in Spielberg underscores the systemic challenges the Maranello team must overcome to mount a sustained championship challenge. While their technical updates provide undeniable peaks in performance, the recurring inability to master core tire behavior limits their baseline consistency across changing track temperatures. Addressing these foundational engineering blind spots will be crucial if Maranello hopes to protect its position in the hierarchy and prevent their midfield rivals from completely erasing the gap.