Two weeks after the triumph in Barcelona, where Lewis Hamilton secured his first victory in Ferrari colors, the Scuderia returns to action with renewed ambitions and a clear objective: close the gap further to Mercedes and attempt to reignite its championship challenge.
In Spain, Ferrari introduced the most substantial upgrade package of the entire season, arguably the largest brought by any team so far this year, with an estimated gain of around three tenths of a second. The update delivered immediate results, allowing Ferrari to engage Mercedes in a genuine head-to-head battle before ultimately beating them through flawless race execution and strategy.
Logically, there will also come a point when Ferrari’s rivals introduce significant upgrades of their own. This championship is likely to be decided by which teams can sustain the strongest development pace and continue delivering performance improvements throughout the season. In Austria, for example, Mercedes will bring both performance-focused updates and changes aimed at improving reliability.
“We arrive in Austria encouraged by the positive signs shown in the last few races, although we are fully aware that there is still a lot of work to do and that we must continue focusing on ourselves. As we have done since the start of the season, we will approach this weekend with the same method and the same mindset,” explained Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.
“We will aim to put together a clean weekend in every area, from track execution to the strategic decisions made on the pit wall. We know that every race weekend tells its own story. That is why we will continue to take things one race at a time, with humility and with the objective of extracting the maximum possible result.”
However, that does not mean Ferrari will arrive in Austria without any new developments.
The new engine born from a parallel development program makes its debut
Dino Beganovic will take over Charles Leclerc’s car during the opening practice session at the Red Bull Ring, and the session will also provide the opportunity to test Ferrari’s most anticipated upgrade: the new evolution of the internal combustion engine made possible by the ADUO framework, as anticipated in recent weeks.
This is a significant upgrade because, as is now well known, Ferrari’s power unit still trails both Mercedes and Red Bull when it comes to outright power.
Discussing the new engine package, Enrico Gualtieri, Ferrari’s Head of Power Unit Development, explained that the upgrade is the result of a parallel development path that has been running alongside the team’s main program. This is a completely normal approach in a development process that operates on two separate tracks, especially given the much longer lead times required for engine-related upgrades.
“Formula 1 has always been a sport built on details and continuous improvement. Power unit development typically follows long cycles because every step, especially the more significant ones, requires extensive research and development work as well as thorough validation. For that reason, it is rare to see radical changes during the season, particularly when they involve integration with the car and its operating conditions,” Gualtieri explained.
“Since the beginning of the 2026 project, we have combined continuous development work with longer-term programs, with the goal of exploiting every available opportunity to increase the performance of our power unit. These two development streams run in parallel and often reinforce each other.”
A first step in a season that will be won through development
“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 programs onto the track.”
Alongside the upgraded engine, Shell will also introduce a new fuel formulation. This remains an area where suppliers still have considerable room for development, particularly now that the challenge of 100% sustainable fuels has become a central focus.
Clearly, this first step will not be enough to eliminate the performance deficit entirely, but it represents an important move toward reducing the gap to the front. Ferrari will also have access to a second homologation later in the season, given that its power deficit exceeds the four percent threshold established under the current regulations.
“This is a limited update and, by itself, it will not be enough to change the competitive order. What it does demonstrate is the attitude of the team and our technical partners, all of whom are determined to keep pushing and to exploit every opportunity to improve the package. In a championship as competitive as the current one, it is unrealistic to think that a single update can transform the overall picture, especially considering the current regulatory and homologation constraints,” Enrico Gualtieri explained.
“We rely on facts rather than promises”
At the beginning of a regulatory cycle, development opportunities are naturally greater because teams have not yet converged on similar solutions. Engineers are still free to explore new concepts and innovative ideas. In this environment, speed becomes critical, particularly the ability to reduce the time between discovering something in the factory and implementing it on track.
“At this early stage of the new regulatory cycle, where performance levels have not yet fully converged, maintaining a high development rate is just as important as the absolute gain delivered by each individual upgrade. This championship will be a challenge that must be managed over the course of the entire season, not simply in terms of outright performance.”
“The same applies to our ability to optimize every component on track and to ensure robustness and reliability across the entire package. At this stage, it is essential to minimize the time between what we learn at the circuit and what we develop at the factory: reacting quickly to what emerges during each race weekend, feeding that information into our development programs, and introducing improvements effectively.”
“We are fully aware that some of our competitors have done a better job than we have so far. That is part of the reality of Formula 1, and it serves as both motivation and a very clear target for us. We know it will not be an easy journey, and we prefer to rely on facts rather than promises. What I can say is that the entire group is extremely united and working with great dedication. We are convinced that, through focus, method and consistency, we can achieve the objectives we have set ourselves.”
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