Ferrari is already looking towards the future, with the Maranello team quietly restructuring its Formula 1 engine department in an effort to inject fresh ideas into the group led by Enrico Gualtieri. The changes form part of Ferrari’s push to strengthen its 2027 power unit and close the performance gap to Mercedes.
Ferrari has not yet abandoned development of the SF-26, but the technical focus is increasingly shifting towards next season. The team believes that much of its current SF-26 development can still contribute to the 2027 project, allowing work on the present car and its successor to overlap rather than become completely separate programmes.
Ferrari reorganises its engine department for 2027
Several reinforcements from outside Maranello are expected to arrive, with particular attention surrounding a senior figure currently linked to Red Bull Powertrains. The engineer’s identity is not yet known, but the fact that the individual has been placed on one year of gardening leave suggests Ferrari has secured a high-level specialist.
According to paddock rumours, the engineer is believed to be one of the specialists recruited by Red Bull Powertrains in Milton Keynes from Brixworth, home of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. That would give Ferrari access to an engineer carrying experience from two very different technical environments.
The Mercedes power unit developed under Hywel Thomas has been the benchmark during the 2026 season, powering 12 victories from the first 14 Grands Prix on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. The scale of Mercedes’ competitive advantage has also been visible in the performance of the W17, with the wider picture of Mercedes’ 2026 Formula 1 performance underlining the challenge facing Ferrari.
Red Bull and Mercedes experience could bring fresh ideas to Ferrari
The incoming engineer is therefore expected to bring knowledge acquired within two organisations whose working philosophies differ significantly from those traditionally followed at Maranello. Ferrari hopes that experience can provide new ideas as Enrico Gualtieri reshapes the power-unit operation.
The Red Bull Powertrains recruit will not be the only reinforcement joining Enrico Gualtieri’s staff between now and the end of the year. Ferrari is also planning targeted additions to the chassis and aerodynamics organisation overseen by technical director Loïc Serra, as the wider technical structure evolves around the 2027 project.
Ferrari also plans internal moves and promotions
Changes will not be limited to external recruitment. According to information obtained by Motorsport.com, Ferrari is also preparing a series of movements within its engine operation, including internal transfers and promotions designed to release fresh energy within the department.
Davide Mazzoni, Guido De Paola and Luigi Fraboni, three prominent representatives of Ferrari’s experienced old guard, will nevertheless remain central figures within the organisation.
Francesco Morettini is moving across from Ferrari’s GT division and will be tasked with reorganising the technical office. A specialist in electromechanics and the development of strategic components, Francesco Morettini will work alongside Francesco Marino, who already oversees the quality department, and Luca Poggio, director of the hybrid and product electronics area.
These are not inexperienced engineers being promoted prematurely. They are senior technical figures with more than two decades of experience inside Ferrari and are expected to strengthen and complement the existing structure around Enrico Gualtieri.
Ferrari 2027 engine changes target Mercedes power gap
Ferrari is now defining its 2027 engine with the objective of reducing the power deficit to the Mercedes M17 E Performance. The broader competitive picture between Maranello and its main opponents can also be explored through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.
The Maranello engineers are not planning to abandon the so-called “hot engine” concept, but they are working on a revision of the philosophy. The changes are expected to increase temperatures inside the combustion chamber through developments to the cylinder head and the steel components of the six-cylinder engine.
This work will proceed in parallel with the evolution of Shell’s fuel, which is not yet regarded within the paddock as the most competitive option available.
Ferrari is also expected to adopt a larger-diameter Garrett turbocharger, moving its concept in the direction already taken by Mercedes and Red Bull. The objective is both to extract additional power and to optimise the recharging times of the hybrid system.
Ferrari believes the 067/6 still has untapped advantages
The advantages offered by the much-criticised Ferrari 067/6 project have not yet been exploited fully through the chassis and aerodynamic package. There remains significant potential to reduce the size and mass of the cooling surfaces, which could allow Ferrari to pursue a more extreme car concept focused on reducing aerodynamic drag.
The regulatory requirement imposed by the FIA to move the T-tray rearwards will also force Ferrari to redesign the monocoque in the area beneath the drivers’ legs. The interaction between power-unit packaging, cooling requirements and aerodynamics will therefore remain a crucial part of the next project, with further developments likely to form an important part of Ferrari’s ongoing technical analysis and 2027 development work.
Ferrari’s ambition is to challenge Mercedes in 2027
Ferrari’s ambition is therefore to produce a car capable of challenging Mercedes in the 2027 championship. Against that background, speculation suggesting that Frédéric Vasseur could be replaced at the top of the Formula 1 team does not currently appear particularly credible.
A change of team principal would inevitably create the possibility that whoever arrived to lead Ferrari’s sporting organisation would seek a much deeper restructuring. Such a move could effectively mean beginning a new technical cycle almost from scratch at precisely the moment when Maranello is attempting to build continuity between its present programme and the 2027 project.
At this stage, that does not appear to be the direction favoured by Ferrari’s senior management. Instead, the current approach is centred on reinforcing Enrico Gualtieri’s engine department, integrating new expertise and extracting more performance from a technical concept that Ferrari believes can still be developed into a package capable of taking the fight to Mercedes.
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