Ferrari needs concrete answers ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix
With Formula 1 approaching the fifth round of the 2026 season at the Canadian Grand Prix, it feels somewhat strange to speak of only the “fifth round” given that we are already in mid-May and the championship began back in early March. Nevertheless, the fifth race weekend arrives after a two-week break, a period during which Ferrari has completely dominated the headlines.
Not by choice, certainly, but because of a flood of rumours, speculation, and stories circulating around the team. Chief among them was the much-discussed speculation surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s supposed retirement, alongside other conversations carrying considerably more substance. If the first was little more than pure speculation and paddock gossip, other discussions reflect Ferrari’s genuine and current technical reality.
Beyond the rumours lies Ferrari’s real technical situation
There is one question that has followed Ferrari since the opening race of the season, and by now it almost feels natural, unfortunately, to already have at least a partial answer. Perhaps not a complete or definitive one, because one final variable still remains unresolved, but the overall direction appears increasingly clear: can the Maranello team genuinely reduce its power unit deficit to Mercedes?
The opening two races were encouraging and created the impression of a complete break from the struggles of the previous campaign. Ferrari consistently looked close to the German team and even appeared to establish itself as the second-fastest force on the grid. But from Suzuka onward, McLaren re-entered the battle and pushed Ferrari backwards in the competitive order.
The races in Japan and Miami have been particularly representative in that respect. Ferrari’s situation has brought back memories of issues already seen before, including the performance gap between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with the British driver appearing to struggle more in adapting to the characteristics of the car. At the same time, Ferrari continues to show structural limitations that remain impossible to ignore. It is therefore entirely understandable that the Canadian Grand Prix begins with the same unanswered questions still hanging over the team.
Looking at Mercedes’ excellent work so far this season, it becomes difficult to imagine Ferrari completely overturning the current hierarchy. Part of that perception comes from Ferrari’s own history: the team has rarely been known for dramatic in-season reversals. When Ferrari starts strongly, it tends to remain competitive. When it begins with clear weaknesses, those issues often remain unresolved until the end of the campaign.
Is a Ferrari comeback unrealistic?
And yet, according to Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari may actually have the best overall car on the grid, trapped, so to speak, by the major weakness represented by the power unit. In Formula 1, however, without engine performance, there is only so much a team can achieve.
What makes the current situation even more striking is that Mercedes has not introduced any major upgrades so far. Only small refinements and seemingly marginal adjustments have been made, yet the team has maintained a strong competitive position.
That makes it difficult to be optimistic about Montreal, a circuit dominated by long straights that do not naturally suit Ferrari’s Italian power unit, which appears more comfortable on layouts combining slow and medium-to-fast cornering sequences. And when considering the broader calendar ahead, imagining a full recovery from the Prancing Horse becomes even more challenging.
There is, however, one final element that remains Ferrari’s most realistic source of hope. That, of course, is the ADUO system, on which the FIA will be able to spend approximately two weeks after the Canadian Grand Prix evaluating the data and deciding the extent to which each manufacturer may benefit from the regulatory concessions.
Still, there are already figures within the paddock who believe Ferrari will struggle to close the gap completely. Among them is former Haas team principal Günther Steiner. Speaking during Roberto Chinchero’s Twitch livestream, the former team boss made an interesting observation: Mercedes supplies its power unit to significantly more teams than Ferrari does, allowing it to collect a much broader and more valuable data pool.
The point is objectively valid. Teams such as McLaren, Williams, and Alpine all benefit from Mercedes power units and continue to generate valuable technical data across different conditions and circuit characteristics. McLaren has re-established itself at the front, Williams has been trying to reverse a difficult start since Miami, and Alpine has emerged as one of the revelations of the season, regularly competing inside the top ten.
Ferrari, by contrast, has less support from its customer teams. Haas continues to endure an inconsistent campaign, while Cadillac, in its debut season, remains rooted toward the back of the field. That inevitably means fewer data points, fewer reference comparisons, and fewer opportunities for accelerated development.
Ferrari must break free from the same old script
And yet, while Günther Steiner’s comments are difficult to dismiss, Ferrari’s problems go well beyond the engine discussion. Several different factors are clearly involved. Once again, the team continues to project the familiar impression of never being entirely ready, never fully sharp, never completely in control. There always seems to be something missing.
Even in post-session communication, the same script appears to repeat itself: familiar statements, recycled concepts, promises that never truly materialise. Perhaps this reflects an internal communication strategy, but over time that narrative becomes difficult to sustain. And despite the absence of major pre-season declarations, the story once again becomes one of a Ferrari team unable to consistently fight for podiums and victories.
Ferrari cannot continue to arrive at race weekends with the constant impression of being incomplete. It cannot continue relying on messaging that feels increasingly predictable. What is needed is a real shake-up, perhaps even a shift in mentality and in the team’s working methods.
Because Ferrari does possess strong technical, mechanical, and sporting resources. Most importantly, it has two drivers of undeniable quality. Of course, factors such as age, momentum, and career stage naturally play a role, but the human talent is clearly there.
And if Mercedes, or at least Andrea Kimi Antonelli for now, appears out of reach, then Ferrari must at the very least fight directly with McLaren and push that battle as far as possible.
More than ever, especially at this early stage of the season, 2026 must be the year of answers, not another campaign defined by “ifs”, “buts”, and “we’ll see.” Ferrari must finally provide answers to all the questions that 2025 left unresolved.
The technical reality facing Ferrari ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix leaves the team with absolutely nowhere left to hide. While active aerodynamics and chassis setup compromises will dictate Friday’s practice sheets, the fundamental deficit in power unit harvesting and deployment remains a critical anchor dragging down the SF-26’s competitive ceiling. Relying heavily on the upcoming ADUO regulatory rulings to balance the field against a dominant Mercedes customer network is a high-stakes gamble, especially when teams like McLaren are already maximizing their engine packages to win races on pure merit. If Frédéric Vasseur hopes to salvage Ferrari’s 2026 campaign and protect the motivation of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Maranello must abandon its conservative developmental approach and inject immediate, aggressive upgrades starting this weekend in Montreal.
Leave a Reply